Approved speed limit changes for Northland and Auckland
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is planning to implement changes to speed limits on short sections of state highways as part of the Northland and north Auckland speed review project.
Current speed limit approvals for Northland and Auckland
Speed limits on approved sections of the following state highways will be changing.
View larger map on speed limits on approved sections in Auckland and Northland [PDF, 496 KB]
The following maps and tables show the approved speed limit changes:
- SH1 Pukenui to Kaitaia [PDF, 1.1 MB]
- SH15 from SH1 (north of Kaikohe) to Otaika [PDF, 2.3 MB]
- SH14 Dargaville to Whangārei [PDF, 1.6 MB]
- SH1 Kawakawa to Whangārei [PDF, 1.5 MB]
- SH11 Kawakawa to Paihia [PDF, 1.2 MB]
- SH1 Whangārei to Te Hana [PDF, 1.3 MB]
- SH12 Ōmāpere to Kaikohe [PDF, 1.6 MB]
- SH12 Brynderwyn to Ōmāpere [PDF, 4 MB]
- SH16 Wellsford to Waimauku [PDF, 2.8 MB]
- SH1 Te Hana to Warkworth [PDF, 1 MB]
- SH10 Pakaraka to Taipa [PDF, 2.3 MB]
Speed limit changes will be targeted to short sections through townships and close to schools and marae, and will not affect the entire stretch of state highway. Maps have been developed to show where the changes will happen and what the new speed limit will be.
Waka Kotahi will start to implement changes to the approved sections of state highway. In total, this includes 54 new permanent speed limit changes and new electronic (variable speed limit) signs across 34 schools. Changes also affect speed limits alongside 7 marae.
There are other sections under consideration on some state highways that were consulted on as part of the Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan. We expect to provide implementation details in due course.
We will use a phased approach to implement the approved speed limit changes, starting in Northland with sections of SH1 Pukenui to Kaitaia, effective from 4 March 2024. We intend to deliver the changes on the remaining sections of state highway by the end of 2024.
Implementing the new speed limits
We also update our register of speed limits, the National Speed Limit Register, with the new speed changes.
Safe speeds around schools
As part of these changes, we plan to implement variable speed limits at 34 schools in Northland and north Auckland by the end of 2024. Variable speed limits (VSL) outside schools help to slow traffic down when people are travelling to and from school.
Electronic VSL signs can be activated during school travel periods to display a lower, enforceable speed limit. When the electronic sign is active the legal speed limit of 30 or 60 km/h will be displayed when children are going to and from school at the start and end of the school day. At all other times, the electronic sign is blank and the permanent speed limit applies.
