New speed limits hit the road

Two major transport links into Kerikeri – Waipapa Road and Kerikeri Road - are among the next phase of roads to have new speed limits introduced.

From Tuesday 27 August, the current speed limit on Kerikeri Road will be reduced from 80km/h to 50km/h from the roundabout at State Highway 10 to Butler Road. On the opposite side of town, the Waipapa Road limit will be cut from 80km/h to 60km/h from the roundabout at State Highway 10 to 50m before Edkins Road.

The Bay of Islands-Kerikeri Speed Limit Review assessed more than 300 roads, covering 321km. This follows public consultation conducted in 2022 when 253 submissions were received on proposed speed changes. Two-thirds supported or partially supported new speed limits in the area. The submissions were considered at a formal hearing in March last year.

At a council meeting earlier this year, Far North elected members decided the new speed limits should go ahead despite the coalition government’s decision to halt “blanket” speed limit reductions. They agreed that work was already well underway before the government’s announcement, and $800,000 in funding had already been allocated. That funding includes a 69 per cent share from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, with the remaining 31 per cent provided by Far North District Council.

The areas that will see changes to speed limits from Tuesday include the Kerikeri-Waipapa urban area. Speed limits have already been activated in Ōpua, Paihia and Haruru to align with work on the state highway network.

Over the next few weeks, speed limits will be activated in the Kerikeri urban periphery, Whangaroa and rural connecting roads in the north of the catchment area. This will include Kapiro Road which will be reduced from 100km/h to 70km/h from State Highway 10 to 50m west of the roundabout at Landing Road. There has been strong community support for a lowered speed limit in the area. It will be reviewed again as part of the 2027-30 Regional Speed Management Plan.

Far North District Council reviews speed limits on its roads under a catchment-based approach as part of its responsibilities as the Road Controlling Authority. These reviews are undertaken in stages, with each road individually assessed to determine the safe and appropriate speed for its use and location. Where changes are confirmed, they are often accompanied by extra road infrastructure so that the speed limit feels right to the average driver.

The Bay of Islands-Kerikeri Speed Limit Review and previous reviews in other parts of the Far North in the past few years were part of the previous government’s Road to Zero Road Safety Strategy.

Pictured: Kerikeri Road is one of a number of roads that will have a reduced speed limit.