50 Victoria Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
21 March 2022
John Trafalgar
[FYI request #18651 email]
REF: OIA-9597
Dear John
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your request of 23 February 2022 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Please provide information on the sections of New Zealand state highways where the speed
limit has increased to 110km/h since the 6th Labour government came into power (i.e. from 26
October 2017), including when the speed limit increase was implemented - exact dates note
required, the month and year for each one suffices.
Please also provide your definition of "recently" if that is at all possible under the Official
Information Act.
Two corridors on the state highway network have a posted speed limit of 110km/h. These are on State
Highway 1 (SH1) on the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway between Tamahere and
Cambridge Southern interchanges, and on SH2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road between the
Paengaroa roundabout and Domain Road interchange. Both of these were implemented on 11
December 2017.
These roads have a higher posted speed limit because they have been designed with safety features
such as median barriers and two lanes in each direction, which significantly reduces the risk of head-
on collisions. Waka Kotahi is considering changing the posted speed limit of other sections of the
Waikato Expressway 110kph and are making infrastructure changes to support this on older sections.
An announcement on this is expected by mid-2022.
The Minister, in his comments at the launch of the Road to Zero public awareness campaign on 22
February 2022, used the word ‘recently’ to describe the time since the start of the sixth Labour
Government.
Yours sincerely
David Van Staden
Programme Director – Speed and Infrastructure Programme