NZTA has opened new speed reviews on 16 sections of state highway that are categorised as urban connectors, and is currently consulting between 2 April and 14 May 2025 to seek local road user and community feedback on proposals to re-set lower speeds in each location.
Speed limits in each of these locations were lowered in recent years (since 2020), however a new requirement under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 (the Rule) means that each of these urban connectors are now required to automatically reverse back to their previous higher speed limit by 1 July 2025.
Read more about the Section 11 Reversals exercise
Following publication of NZTA’s list of auto-reversal locations in January 2025, NZTA has received feedback on a number of urban connectors where the community is strongly in support of keeping the current lower speed limits, instead of seeing them reverse.
Following careful consideration of this feedback and past evidence of community support, NZTA has now opened formal review of speed limits on these sections of road. These new speed reviews acknowledge that under the Rule, on 1 July 2025, these locations must reverse back to higher speeds (for eg, 70km, 80km or 100km, depending on where they are). In light of this, these new speed reviews are proposing to change back these locations’ speeds immediately following this change in July (eg, back to the lower speed they have today).
The speed review process must meet all the requirements of the new Rule for a future speed review, including considering assessments such as technical analysis and a Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement alongside consultation feedback.
Once the consultation is completed, NZTA will analyse the feedback alongside the technical data and cost-benefit analysis before determining the final speed limit for these sections of road.
Note: any change of registered speed in the National Speed Limits Register (NSLR) as a result of a new review cannot occur before 1 July, due to the restriction on new speed setting on the ‘specified road’ (auto-reversal) category of urban connectors. If the outcome of the urban connector speed reviews results in the lower speed being re-set, the current signage will remain in place.
Consultation is now open and will run for six weeks, until 5pm Wednesday 14 May 2025.
| Region | Locality | Section of State Highway | Approx length (km) | Current speed limit (km/h) | Previous speed limit (km/h) |
| Northland | SH1 Kaitaia North | From north of Wireless Road to north of North Park Drive | 1 | 60 | 100/70 |
| Northland | SH1 Kaitaia 50 | From north of North Park Drive to south of North Park Drive | 0.29 | 50 | 70 |
| Northland | SH11 Te Haumi | From north of Smith Camp Road to south of Tohitapu Road | 1.06 | 50 | 80 |
| Northland | SH1 Moerewa | From east of Leaity Street to east of Sir William Hale Crescent east. | 1 | 50 | 70 |
| Waikato | SH1C Hamilton | From north east of Lorne Street to west of Howell Avenue | 2.8 | 60 | 80 |
| Waikato | SH26 Hamilton | From SH1C intersection to north east of Berkley Avenue | 0.65 | 50 | 60 |
| Waikato | SH1 Turangi | From south of Waiotaka Road to south of Te Arahori Street | 2.1 | 60 | 80 |
| Bay of Plenty | SH5 South Rotorua 50 | From north of the SH5/SH30 roundabout to south of the SH5/SH30 Old Taupō Road/Hemo Road roundabout | 0.51 | 50 | 80 |
| Bay of Plenty | SH30 Whakarewarewa to Tihiotonga | From centre of SH5/SH30 Old Taupō Road/Hemo Road roundabout to north east of Tarawera Road (excluding the section between Fenton Street and near Scott Street) | 2.6 | 50 | 50, 60, 70, 80 |
| Bay of Plenty | SH30A | 150m west SH30/SH30A intersection to SH30A eastern termination point | 0.15 | 50 | 70 |
| Gisborne | SH35 Okitu | From north of Sirrah Street to south-west of Wairere Road. | 2.59 | 60 | 70 |
| Gisborne | SH35 Gisborne | From east of Wheatstone Road to north-west of Coldstream Road. | 1.8 | 60 | 80, 70 |
| Manawatū - Whanganui | SH3 Whanganui | From north of Tirimoana Place to south of Turere Place | 0.77 | 50 | 70 |
| Top of the South | SH6 Marybank | From north east of Allisdair Street to south west of Atawhai Crescent North. | 1.79 | 60 | 100, 80 |
| Top of the South | SH6 Wakefield North | From north-east of Bird Lane to north-east of Franklyn Close | 0.8 | 60 | 70 |
| Canterbury* | SH1 Rakaia township | Rakaia township urban area | 1.1 | 50 | 70 |
*A new infrastructure speed change proposal on SH1 Rakaia is included for consultation.
If you have questions in the meantime please email speedmanagement@nzta.govt.nz.
