Rotorua residents push to maintain 80km/h limit on busy state highway

More than 500 people have signed a petition to keep a busy section of Rotorua state highway at 80km/h, with its creator calling for support from the city’s mayor and MP.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) consultation on the Government’s intention to reverse speed limit reductions under the previous Government closes on Thursday.

Some will revert automatically and others are subject to public feedback.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said at the time the changes would make it easier for people and freight to move as quickly and efficiently as possible, and would drive economic growth and productivity.

During consultation, Rotorua resident and former council candidate Ryan Gray created a petition to keep the speed limit at 80km/h at the intersection of Waipā State Mill Rd and State Highway 5, rather than it revert to the pre-2022 limit of 100km/h.

It was signed more than 540 times.

Gray said the number of people signing reflected people’s desire for safety in that area, despite how “in general people seem to like to drive fast”.

No one self-identified as a bad driver, he said.

“People make mistakes.”

Gray calculated an increased limit would shave 12 seconds from a journey. He did not view this as worth the safety risk, especially without any road design changes or improvements.

He called on both mayor Tania Tapsell and Rotorua MP Todd McClay to “speak up for their communities and tell NZTA to keep Waipā at 80km/h”.

He said the signatures came from a wide range of people, the majority local.

In 2023, both lanes of the 795m stretch south of Old Taupō Rd had an annual average daily traffic of 16,631 vehicles, including 26.7% heavy vehicles.

State Highway 5 and surrounds minor, serious and fatal crashes reported to police since 1980. Source / NZTA

Gray said some worried for young drivers that frequented the forest to mountain bike, while others for the logging truck drivers turning right across both lanes of traffic from SH30 to then almost immediately turn left into Waipā.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the Government was “keeping New Zealand moving by ensuring speed limits are sensible and consistent”.

Rotorua was a key transport hub, he said.

He agreed the area would get busier with the business park development and he noted the “significant economic development” it would deliver.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said she had been “strongly requesting funding” from NZTA for safety and accessibility improvements in that area alongside Rotorua Business Chamber and RotoruaNZ.

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell in a March 2025 meeting. Photo / Laura Smith

“It’s very disappointing that for the next three years NZTA hasn’t allocated or prioritised funding for important road network upgrades, or any safety improvements in our district.”

She assured the community it would “keep pushing for the right decision” for safety and to support job growth aspirations with the development of the industrial park.

She previously said she would be reluctant to see the stretch return to 100km/h without improvements.

The council’s infrastructure and assets group manager Stavros Michael said it did not submit during consultation but continued to advocate for roading network improvements.

It would discuss its concerns directly with NZTA.

Recommended interventions supported “by all parties including NZTA” included roundabouts at key intersections and speed limit adjustments at that section of state highway.

There were 56 speed limit changes on local and reserve access roads following a June 2021 council meeting after consultation, for a number of reasons and considerations. This included roads lowered to 60km/h under a nationwide phase out of 70km/h limits.

There were no fatalities on these sections of roads prior to limit reduction. One was recorded on Pukehangi Rd in 2022.

NZTA data shows a 2022 crash in that location as involving an SUV and a post or pole in light rain.

Police said in September that year it was notified of a crash at 12.30am and the sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Bay of Plenty and Waikato system design regional manager Susan Collins said it appreciated the concerns about safe and effective roading links to and from Rotorua.

The district received more than $65 million for projects in recent years, particularly for State Highway 30.

There were always more bids for funding than what was available and this was prioritised, she said.

Regional investment under the programme was forecast to total $1.9 billion, $500m more than under the previous programme.

Other investment in Rotorua included safety improvements at State Highway 33 from Te Ngae Junction to Paengaroa.

“The high rate of deaths and serious injuries in Bay of Plenty is being addressed with targeted infrastructure improvements, maintaining the state highway network and increased police enforcement,” Collins said.

Bay of Plenty state highway maintenance totalled $319m for the programme period, $208m is ring-fenced for pothole prevention.

An NZTA spokesperson said it would review and consider feedback and if it did revert it will be changed by July 1 alongside other automatic reversals.

Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist since 2019.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.