Waikato

We’ve reviewed  3 ‘urban connector’ state highway locations in Waikato including consulting between 2 April – 14 May 2025 with road users, councils, communities and iwi, as part of a proposal to change back to lower speeds. 

Background 

Under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 (the Rule), specified sections of state highway, categorised as urban connectors with lowered speed limits, are required to automatically reverse to their previous higher speed limit by 1 July 2025.

NZTA received feedback on some urban connectors, including 3 in Waikato, where the community was strongly in support of keeping the current lower speed limits. These included 2 in Hamilton, and 1 in Tūrangi.

Changing speed limits is a legal process. The Rule allows NZTA to set speed limits for roads under its control where there is alignment with the intent and requirements of the Rule. After careful consideration,NZTA has undertaken new formal reviews of speed limits on these 3 sections of road. The speed reviews included consultation, and took into consideration safety, technical, cost benefit and other data, alongside community feedback to determine if we should reconfirm lower speed limit, as proposed.

More information on speed reduction reversals

Speed review outcome

After considering all of the safety, technical, cost and consultation information, the proposals to reconfirm the current (lower) speed limits have been approved for Waikato with the exception of the speed limit in Tūrangi on SH1. While the 60km/h will be retained, the length of the section of SH1 with the lower speed limit (60km/h) will be shortened, and the rest of this section will return to the previous higher speed of 100km/h.

Tūrangi

The proposal was to reconfirm a lower 60km/h speed limit on the 2.1km section from south of Waiotaka Road to south of Te Arahori Street, rather than reverse the speed limit to 80km/h. Through a review of the consultation feedback as well as the environmental and technical assessment, a recommendation was made to the Director of Land Transport to reconfirm the 60km/h speed limit for a shorter length of approximately 1.7km as this provides a better alignment with a clear change of environment.  

We will reconfirm this speed limit on this shorter section to 60km/h rather than implementing the reversal to 80km/h as was required under the Rule on this section of state highway. This will happen on 1 July 2025. The section between Gosling Grove and Waiotaka Road will reverse to 100km/h. It was also recommended that an advance warning 60km/h ahead signage is placed at the northern end on this section. 

Hamilton

SH1C Hamilton: The Director of Land Transport has approved a lower speed limit of 60km/h. The rationale for this was in recognition of the recognised safety benefits, consistency of the network, alignment to local roads, and positive key stakeholder feedback. There is also a recommendation that the feedback about speeding and enforcement received is shared with NZ Police and the NZTA Safety Camera team. 

SH26 Hamilton: The Director of Land Transport has approved the lower speed limit of 50km/h. We will reset this speed limit on this section to 50km/h rather than implementing the reversal to 60km/h as was required under the Speed Rule on this section of state highway.  

The rational for this was in recognition of the high number of school and university students using the road, the need to align plans for the future of the road and positive key stakeholder feedback.  

Waikato consultation summary report [PDF, 2.6 MB]

View the SH1C Hamilton Cobham Drive Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement 80 to 60 [PDF, 158 KB]

View the SH26 Hamilton Morrinsvile Road Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement 60 to 50 [PDF, 160 KB]

View the SH1 Tūrangi Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement 80 to 60 [PDF, 149 KB]

Approved speed limits

The following speed limits have been approved by the Director of Land Transport.