Council launches second speed limit review

The Council is seeking feedback on speed limit changes proposed for mostly rural roads around Kaitāia, Broadwood and Moerewa, as well as Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē / Ninety Mile Beach.

Far North Mayor, John Carter, says the proposals are part of a region-wide review of district road speeds being undertaken by Northland councils and is the second review for the Far North. The Council applied new speed limits to more than 50 roads between Kāeo and Ōhaeawai in January. The review also supports the Government’s Road to Zero national strategy to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads by 40 per cent over the next 10 years.

“Because we have so many roads in our district, we are reviewing speed limits area by area. Those areas with the highest crash risk are being reviewed first. Statistics show that roads north of Hokianga Harbour, and around Awanui and Moerewa have a high rate of serious crashes. We believe that setting speeds more appropriate to the road environment will help reduce those numbers.”

Inclusion of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē / Ninety Mile Beach in the review will also help implement the Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē Beach Management Plan.

Mayor Carter says that many roads in the Far North are unsealed, narrow and winding but have a default speed limit of 100km/h. “That is a problem. Between 2016 and 2021, travelling too fast for the road conditions contributed to nearly a third of fatal or serious injury crashes in the Far North.”

He says there were 8183 crashes recorded in Northland between 2016 and 2021, with 3224 occurring in the Far North. Sixty-nine of those resulted in one or more fatalities.

“If you travel in the review areas, I urge you to provide feedback on the proposed speed limits so that we can adopt limits that best suit the road conditions and road users.”

To find a full list of roads under review, as well as maps of the review areas and to make a submission, go to our Have your say webpage or pick up the full proposal from Council service centres and libraries. You can also call 0800 920 029 to have a proposal posted to you.

The six-week Speed Limits Review for Kaitāia, Broadwood, Moerewa and Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē / Ninety Mile Beach opened on Monday 12 July and closes on Tuesday 24 August.