Reversals of Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, Minister of Transport, Chris Bishop, said today.
The Minister slammed the reductions as “illogical and untargeted”, saying the previous Government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down on state highways and local roads.
“National campaigned on reversing the blanket speed limit reductions at the last election, and over 65% of submitters during consultation on the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 agreed,” said Mr Bishop.
“Reversing the speed limit reductions where safe to do so is also part of the National-ACT coalition agreement.
“Where Labour was about slowing New Zealand down, the coalition Government is all about making it easier for people and freight to get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible, which will help drive economic growth and improved productivity.”
The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 requires NZTA and local councils to reverse all speed limits lowered since January 2020 on several categories of roads back to their previous limits by 1 July.
“Labour’s Kieran McAnulty said recently that as Associate Transport Minister under the previous government he’d asked NZTA to review the SH2 Wairarapa speed limit, and that they told him no. It seems he just shrugged and accepted that,” Mr Bishop says.
“Today provides a classic example of our Government’s determination to stop letting government agencies put things in the too-hard basket, and instead to push forward for actual results.
“Today provides a classic example of our Government’s determination to stop letting government agencies put things in the too-hard basket, and instead to push forward for actual results.
“The first state highway to reverse will be the section of SH2 between Featherston and Masterton, where the speed limit reduction in early 2023 under the previous government met with huge community hostility – the exact road that Kieran McAnulty failed to get any action on. This change which will take effect overnight tonight.”
To ensure this process happens efficiently, over the next few months NZTA will incorporate the automatic speed reversal work alongside planned maintenance and project works, said Mr Bishop.
“I have also released a further list of 49 sections of state highway for further public consultation so local communities can have their say on keeping their current lower speed limit or returning to the previous higher speed. Public consultation on those sections begins tomorrow and will run for six weeks,” he said.
“In terms of local road changes, councils have until 1 May 2025 to advise NZTA of the specified roads subject to reversal under the new Rule.”
The new rule requires reduced variable speed limits outside schools during pick up and drop off times.
“We are prioritising the safety of Kiwi kids by introducing reduced speed limits outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times. We want to see these changes brought about quickly,” Mr Bishop says.
By 1 July 2026, local streets outside a school will be required to have a 30km/h variable speed limit. Rural roads that are outside schools will be required to have variable speed limits of 60km/h or less.
“Throughout the world, 50km/h is used as the right speed limit to keep urban roads flowing smoothly and safely. The evidence on this is clear – comparable countries with the lowest rates of road deaths and serious injuries, such as Norway, Denmark, and Japan, have speed limits of 50km/h on their urban roads, with exceptions for lower speed limits.”
“These countries have strong road safety records, targeting alcohol, drugs, and speeding. Our Government has a clear focus on improving road safety outcomes with clear targets to ensure Police are focussed on the most high-risk times, behaviours, and locations,” said Mr Bishop.
