Hamilton councillor calls out NZTA over lack of school-gate safety funding

Thursday, 9 July 2026

A Hamilton City councillor is calling for a citywide school-gate safety campaign as the city’s school-run problems mount by the day.

Hamilton West Ward councillor Graeme Mead says the problem is getting too big for the council to deal with alone and is calling for the Government to help ratepayers out.

“If we can find the will to fund roads, intersections and transport projects, then we can find the will to protect children at the school gate,’’ Mead told Waikato Times.

“That means working together so the burden does not fall on ratepayers alone.’’

Mead believes the council needs to urgently shift from a site‑by‑site, project‑by‑project approach to a “total, citywide strategy for school‑gate safety’’.

“We cannot keep relying on isolated fixes, one intersection at a time, one consultation at a time, one redesign at a time and expect driver behaviour to change.

“The current pattern of engineering our way out of the problem, piece by piece - Its just not achieving city wide safety and I believe we need a total change in direction and approach.”

Mead is frustrated that despite the council spending “millions’’ on raised crossings, speed humps, traffic islands, roundabouts, pedestrian refuges, traffic lights and ”countless“ smaller traffic‑calming projects, driver behaviour outside schools still remains risky.

“Every weekday morning and afternoon, the same dangerous pattern unfolds outside many of Hamilton’s primary schools. Parents or caregivers stop on yellow lines, double‑park, block crossings, make illegal U‑turns and squeeze into any space that gets a few metres closer to the school gate.

“Most aren’t trying to be reckless, they’re trying to save a minute but that minute can put every child around them at risk.’’

It’s time responsibility and costs are shared “properly”, Mead says.

“This cannot continue as a council‑only driven burden.

“The approach must be shared, and the investment must reflect that. I’m going to be advocating for this in our Long Term Plan as a community‑driven outcome.

“That is why I believe Hamilton should launch a citywide School Safety Responsibility Campaign involving schools, Hamilton City Council, NZTA, New Zealand Police, teachers, parents, caregivers, communities and local media.

“Every parent should understand not only where they can and cannot stop but why those rules exist, and each school should be able to identify its own highest‑risk issues and receive a tailored response.”

Knighton Normal School’s Andrew Campbell is the latest in a long line of principals wanting the council to take action on safety.

In his case, requesting the installation of a pedestrian crossing on Clyde St.

“The current traffic volume and speed during peak school hours require a more definitive, controlled crossing solution to prevent serious injury or tragedy.’’

Principals from Hamilton Boys’ High and Peachgrove Intermediate also recently raised serious safety issues with the council, following safety concerns previously raised by Rototuna High School and Maeroa Intermediate.

An NZTA spokesperson said the agency feels setting safer speed limits in highest-risk areas was the most effective way it could reduce harm on the roads.

A spokesperson said NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi had completed the rollout of variable speed limit signs outside all 246 schools on state highways. The signs reduce speeds to 30kph or 60kph during school drop-off and pick-up periods and are legally enforceable.

The spokesperson said councils are responsible for installing variable speed limit signs outside schools on local roads under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024.

The spokesperson said lower speed limits improve safety by reducing the likelihood of children being killed or seriously injured in crashes. Councils also receive National Land Transport Fund support for road safety education, including programmes that encourage safer behaviour around schools.