Published: 18 December 2025 | Category: Research & reports , Statistics & surveys | Audiences: Local & regional government, Road controlling authorities, Road traffic engineers & consultants, Roading contractors
A survey report showing changes in vehicle operating speeds across the New Zealand road network over time. Published annually.
The annual speed monitoring survey tracks changes in vehicle operating speeds in both open road (default 100 km/h) speed limit areas and main urban road (default 50 km/h) areas. Monitoring vehicle operating speeds across the road network provides a measure of how drivers are travelling around the network. This provides information on the effectiveness of speed management measures implemented over time and provides information for developing safety policies.
National speed monitoring surveys have been carried out since 1996. Speed surveys are conducted at selected sites around New Zealand annually to provide an estimate of the national speed profile. The surveys include 53 open road (100 km/h) and 64 urban road (50 km/h) sites across state highways and local roads, which are surveyed in August each year.
National speed profiles provide an indication of safety on New Zealand’s roads, with a particular focus on whether trends are generally increasing or decreasing each year. The speed survey results have also been broken down to a regional level. The regional surveys are designed to track changes over time in driver speed choice within regions; they are not designed to provide valid comparisons between regions.
Annual Speed Monitoring Survey 2024 [PDF, 1.8 MB]
2015 Speed Survey Results Summary(external link)
