Mr Dickson said Sunday's fatality was the first on the Brynderwyns since February 28, 2010, when Glen Rickard, 27, from Whangarei, died and his 29-year-old passenger was seriously injured in a accident on the Whangarei side of the Brynderwyn Hills.
The Brynderwyns have had a high crash rate for many years, but in 2010 the authorities reduced the speed limit over the hills to 80km/h in an effort to reduce the number of crashes.
"They have made a significant improvement. While it's always sad to have a road death, and in this case it's a young visitor to our region, it's a long time since we had a fatal crash (on the Brynderwyns) and those things have all helped to make it a safer stretch of road," he said.
"While nobody wants to see these sorts of accidents, it's more than two-and-a-half [years] since the last fatal one, although there's still been many other crashes there where people have been seriously injured."
Mr Dickson said authorities were criticised when the limit was reduced from 100km/h, but the faster people travelled the more chance there was of death or serious injury, and the change was likely to have saved lives.
A New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman said it had also widened the road over the hill.
"We have a special skid-resistant road surface in place to help prevent loss of control crashes, particularly in slippery conditions, and rumble strips to help keep drowsy or non-attentive drivers alert. Guardrails have been continuously upgraded and extended along the route, and passing lanes have been in place in both directions for many years," he said.
Sunday's fatal crash might help identify other safety measures "that might prevent future tragedies on this challenging stretch of highway," he said.