Bay of Plenty traffic expert David Taui defends te reo Māori signs

The stop/go sign in te reo Māori at roadworks on Matapiro Rd, Hawke's Bay.

• David Taui, creator of te reo traffic signs, insists they pose no public threat.
• Taui argues red and green signs are universally understood, aiming to improve road safety.
• The NZ Transport Agency states the signs breach rules and are not approved for use.

The pioneer of te reo Māori stop-go signs says he wants to make it loud and clear that they pose no threat to the public.

Rotorua’s David Taui – the owner of Dāmel Traffic Management – previously used te reo signs in 2021 at the intersection of State Highways 2 and 30.

Te reo signs were reported to Hawke’s Bay Today by a motorist who saw them in use on Matapiro Rd off the Napier-Taihape Rd on Friday, May 9.

In a Hawke’s Bay Today article, he said the signs were dangerous for foreign tourists and that most countries used English on their stop, on-road signs.

Taui disagreed.

“Not every country uses English stop-go signs, but most people understand that red means stop and green means go,” Taui said.

Taui with his te reo signs in 2021. Photo / Māori TV

Taui has worked in traffic management since 1994.

Taui said most people understood what green and red signs meant at roadworks.

He had watched more cars speeding than not when a temporary speed limit was in place, he said.

“I’m going to tell you that 97.9% of all drivers who go through the roadworks site do not do 30km/h.”

He simply wanted to save the lives of tangata whenua and all Kiwis driving.

“They [te reo signs] are more respected by Māori than the Stop sign,” he said.

“Because nobody likes to be stopped. Stop is a command, and human beings do not like to be commanded to do something.”

Taui said he knew the rules and regulations around signage very well and that any signs could be used in risk management, as long as a plan was in place.

“Every sign is not approved until it gets approved, and that is when you write the traffic management plan.”

He said that if more road signs were in te reo or closer to his designs, there would be fewer accidents because people would pay more attention to them.

The stop/go roadworks sign in te reo Māori on Matapiro Rd, Hawke's Bay. Photo / Jack Riddell

A spokesperson for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kōtahi said it valued te reo Māori as an official language of New Zealand and would continue to use it.

“Safety on the road is non-negotiable and the use of approved signs is critical to ensuring all road users and traffic crews remain safe around work sites,” the NZTA spokesperson said.

The only official sign under the traffic control devices (TCD) rule is the Kura sign for schools.

“This was introduced in 2022 and remains on our roadsides and is legally required to be used, as specified in the TCD rule.”

The TCD rule was a transport regulation, and the Minister of Transport was responsible for it, the spokesperson said.

“NZTA cannot change it on its initiative.”

NZTA must follow the law as a road controlling authority and only used signs specified in the TCD rule.

Only a small number of traffic signs in the rule conveyed a message just in te reo (eg, Marae, Kōhanga Reo, Tangi), according to the spokesperson.

“Most traffic signs are presented in English,” the spokesperson said.

The new Government policy statement on land transport 2024 has been finalised, and bilingual and te reo Māori traffic signs are not identified as the Government’s priority, the spokesperson said.