Lower speed limit for Napier-Taupō highway from midnight, but judicial review being considered

Thursday, 17 February 2022

The speed limit over 76km of the Napier-Taupō Road reduces from 100kmh to 80kmh at midnight Thursday. (File photo)

The speed limit over a stretch of a major State Highway in the central North Island reduces from 100kmh to 80kmh from midnight Thursday, but could revert if councils pursue a successful judicial review.

The speed limit on a 76 kilometre stretch of the Napier-Taupō Road (State Highway 5) will be reduced following a Waka Kotahi decision in December.

Waka Kotahi announced the change after considering public feedback after the proposal was announced earlier last year.

Earlier this month the Hawke’s Bay Regional Transport Committee, which includes the region’s council leaders, police, iwi, Waka Kotahi and others, requested Waka Kotahi to present the various reports underlying its decision and advised the agency it was pursuing legal options to have the decision set aside.

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Better infrastructure and more driver training would be better than dropping the speed limit on State Highway 5 - the Napier/Taupō Highway, says Self Loader Logging Taupō owner Bryan Smith.

Committee chair Martin Williams said Waka Kotahi provided the requested information late on Wednesday.

Until the committee had received the information it was unable to determine whether it would take legal action. The information was now with lawyers and a decision on whether to pursue a judicial review would be known in about a week, Williams said.

“The revealing part of [the information provided] was what it doesn’t say. It is entirely a desktop technical review focused purely on road speed. There is no evaluation we can see of broader considerations of factors such as economic and social consequences,” Williams said.

He said there was no evaluation of other speed options, such as 90kmh, and there had been no engagement with mana whenua.

“It is purely a formulaic consultant-driven desktop review, from what we can see,” he said.

If a judicial review was pursued, and was successful, the decision to reduce the speed limit could be reversed, and Waka Kotahi could be required to undertake the process again, he said.

A judicial review would likely cost between $50,000 and $100,000, Williams said.

If the committee decided to launch a judicial review there would likely be contributions to the cost made by committee members, excluding Waka Kotahi.

Given the cost to the region if the speed limit remained, “it would be well worth the investment if we have strong legal advice behind it”.

“It’s most disappointing that this situation has landed in this place, where we’re effectively talking past each other and at loggerheads. My over-riding concern is to find a way forward which must involve a central government investment in that corridor so an 80kmh speed limit doesn’t need to remain in place,” Williams said.

“We can’t let 80kmh stand. That cannot be the position for all time. It’s just not good enough,” he said.

Waka Kotahi director of regional relationships Linda Stewart said the lower speed limit combined with future safety improvements “will make everyone’s journeys on this road significantly safer”.

She said an evaluation would take place in 12 months time to consider the safety, economic and social impacts of the new speed limit.

Waka Kotahi was also working to develop a long-term improvement strategy for SH5.

“The business case will set out a long-term vision for SH5 and inform future improvements to the corridor. The feedback we received during the speed review process will be a key part of shaping this direction,” Stewart said.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the information provided by Waka “shows critical work was not done”.

“Waka Kotahi has four pillars that it says it relies on when setting road speeds: Safety, Connectivity,

Efficiency and Sustainability. The information provided shows that up as a sham; they have given absolutely no thought to connectivity, efficiency or sustainability,” she said.