‘No excuse for speeding': How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the early adoption of the lower speed limits reflected the council's strong commitment to improving safety outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and the wider community.
'We're taking a proactive step to protect our children and show leadership in road safety,' Hazlehurst said.
Sadler says she is happy with the move.
'Speeding cars are a problem for us. In fact, sometimes there are police cars waiting in our carpark for them.
'We have had many close calls with our tamariki, and I've tried numerous times to get a school crossing, but we are on a state highway.'
She said the signage was impressive.
'It's very visible. You can't miss them, so there is no excuse for speeding,' Sadler said.
Hazlehurst said that by rolling out variable speed limits before schedule, the council was ensuring safer journeys to and from school for everyone.
The lower vehicle speed limits outside schools align the district with the Government's new Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024.
Over the next three months, all schools across Hastings will move to variable speed limits, operating during defined school travel periods during school terms.
These periods typically cover 45 minutes before and after school, but up to an hour in areas where multiple schools are nearby.
Bridge Pā, Maraekākaho, Puketapu, Te Pōhue, and Waimārama schools are the first to have the new variable speed limits in place from July 14.
The council's goal is to have the school speed limits operating at all Hastings schools by mid-September.
The changes apply to both urban and rural schools and adhere to national rules that define school zone extents and classification criteria.
Unlike the previous permanent speed zones, the new approach uses variable signs that are only active during designated school travel periods, improving clarity and consistency for drivers.
All electronic signs have been purchased, with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi support.
Additional funding has been sought from NZTA to help with the installation of static variable signs.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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1News
a day ago
- 1News
What we know about new road user charges and end of petrol tax
The Government made it official this week that the petrol tax is on the way out, to be replaced by electronic road user charges, or RUCs, for everyone. Drivers of all light vehicles – petrol, hybrid, diesel and electric – will now pay for road use based on distance travelled and vehicle weight, instead of an extra charge at the pump. Right now, Road User Charges (RUC) only apply to vehicles not powered wholly by petrol, and all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. An awful lot of the specifics around the new system remain uncertain, as the government considers how to implement the plan. But here's what we know so far. The petrol tax will go, but what's replacing it? ADVERTISEMENT All of Aotearoa's 3.5 million light vehicle owners will need to pay RUC fees to help pay for road upkeep and maintenance. But exactly how the fees will be set and collected are still a work in progress. In making the announcement, Transportation Minister Chris Bishop said it was "the biggest change to how we fund our roading network in 50 years". It comes as more and more drivers use hybrids, electric vehicles or other technology. Bishop said the number of fuel-efficient petrol hybrid vehicles has jumped from 12,000 in 2015 to 350,000 today. "As our vehicle fleet changes, so too must the way we fund our roads. It isn't fair to have Kiwis who drive less and who can't afford a fuel-efficient car paying more than people who can afford one and drive more often. "This is a change that simply has to happen. The government has recognised reality and is getting on with the transition." Replacing fuel excise taxes with electronic road user charging was part of National and ACT's coalition agreement. The government's been signalling this move for some time and last year scrapped an Auckland regional fuel tax of 11.5 cents per litre. AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins said while the association thinks the changes are good in principle, "we need to see the detail". ADVERTISEMENT How much will all this cost drivers? AA principal policy advisor Terry Collins discussed the "pros and cons" of replacing petrol tax with electronic road user charges. (Source: Breakfast) That's one of the big question marks right now. Under the system, all vehicles would be paying for road use based on distance and their vehicle's weight, Bishop said, but no detail on the weight limits was given. The current RUC for light vehicles – under 3500kg – are $76 per 1000km. The average Toyota Corolla weighs between 1200-1500kg. Charges can widely vary for larger vehicles under the current RUC, according to NTZA's website. There's also an administration fee of $12-$13 per transaction. ADVERTISEMENT No costs or parameters for the new system have been announced, but just as an example under the current RUC setup, a small electric vehicle would pay more than $760 including fees for 10,000km worth of credits. Will this bring petrol prices down? Again, answer unclear. Bishop said currently, petrol drivers pay a tax of about 70 cents per litre. However, the AA says that the full cost of fuel excise, duties and taxes such as GST altogether was over $1.20 per litre as of mid-2024. There's no real way of knowing yet if the changes would automatically drop 70 cents or more from fuel prices. When will it take effect? ADVERTISEMENT Chris Bishop said paying for RUC would be similar to paying an electricity bill at the end of each month. (Source: Breakfast) Legislative work toward the changes will begin next year, with the government eyeing 2027 for the new system to take place. "At this stage, no date has been set for the full transition of the light vehicle fleet," Bishop said. "That's a deliberate choice, as we're focused on getting the system right rather than rushing its rollout." The legislative plans include: Removing the requirement to carry or display RUC licences, allowing for digital records instead; enabling the use of a broader range of electronic RUC devices, including those already built into many modern vehicles; supporting flexible payment models such as post-pay and monthly billing; separating NZTA's roles as both RUC regulator and retailer to foster fairer competition; and allowing bundling of other road charges like tolls and time of used based pricing into a single, easy payment. "The changes will support a more user-friendly, technology-enabled RUC system, with multiple retail options available for motorists," Bishop said in announcing the changes. "Eventually, paying for RUC should be like paying a power bill online, or a Netflix subscription. Simple and easy." ADVERTISEMENT Bishop told ThreeNews that users could possibly pay road RUCs through an app, and log in and pay what they owed at the end of each month. The next step for the plan is changes to the Road User Charges Act 2012, and a bill will be introduced to Parliament and referred to a Select Committee for public input. "I expect to pass legislation in 2026, followed by an updated Code of Practice for RUC providers," Bishop said. "We will also engage with the market in 2026 to assess technological solutions and delivery timelines. In parallel, NZTA and Police will upgrade their systems to support enforcement in a digital environment." How do RUCs work now for those who pay them? Bishop called the current setup for light vehicles a "clunky" system. You keep track of your odometer readings, pay for RUC in 1000km chunks and put a sticker on your windscreen that shows how many km they are good for. Once your odometer passes the number you've paid for in RUC, you need to pay for more. "We're not going to shift millions of drivers from a simple system at the pump to queues at retailers," Bishop said. "So, instead of expanding a clunky government system, we will reform the rules to allow the market to deliver innovative, user-friendly services for drivers." ADVERTISEMENT The AA's Martin Glynn told RNZ's Morning Report that it's not the easiest system for users. "The biggest problem with it, people need to keep an eye on their odometers and see if they've used up their RUC and need to buy more. That's probably the biggest problem with it." However, the Government said it wants to shift away from the "outdated" system and replace it with greater use of electronic RUC, or eRUCs. What are eRUCs, anyway? Basically, instead of having to keep track of your odometer readings and paying as you go for km credits, it's a device that does that work automatically. There are a variety in place now for current requirements. There are several approved eRUC providers for the heavy vehicle fleet of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. "EROAD's system automatically records the distance each vehicle travels on-road and accurately records all off-road travel with its intuitive GPS-tracking capability," the website of one of the providers, EROAD, states. ADVERTISEMENT Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett applauded the change and said it could work well with other transport charges. "User-charging is a fair, proven way to fund infrastructure. ERUC will make it easier to apply that principle consistently across all vehicles, whether petrol, diesel, electric or hybrid, and as our transport system evolves. "We also see the use of flexible payment methods and the integration of eRUC with other transport charges such as tolling and congestion pricing as sensible moves." However, there's still a lot of questions around the costs of implementing eRUCs for everyone. Would all cars be fitted with new devices or would some kind of self-monitoring system be in place for those with older vehicles? And what does that eRUC technology mean for privacy? There's also been a fair bit of talk doing the rounds on social media about the idea of electronic records on vehicle travel and worries about the government tracking people. In a statement to RNZ, Bishop said there were privacy protections in place and it would remain a concern in developing the new systems. ADVERTISEMENT "The Road User Charges Act 2012 has existing provisions that protect privacy by limiting what RUC electronic information the RUC collector can access. "Location data can only be accessed to verify where the driver is owed a refund for off-road use. "Officials will be engaging with the market and stakeholders (including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner) on the features of potential solutions, such as cost, privacy and ease of use." The AA's Collins said it would be important to see the detail of "who has that information and what's done with it". "Everybody in the trucking industry wants to have that technology fitted. I don't think that's the case in the light fleet." Collins noted that our phones – which almost everyone has with them in their cars – are also packed with tracking technology. Other countries have managed similar systems, he said, but "it's what the data will ultimately be used for in the future that's the biggest concern". ADVERTISEMENT Private firms will be in charge of collecting the new fees In their announcement, the Government also said that private firms will take over the collection and administration of charges from NZTA, "to foster fairer competition". Tax Justice Aotearoa said they were concerned about that change and taking the responsibility away from the Government. "We are deeply concerned by this initiative as using the power of the state to require citizens to pay charges decided by the state is a core function of government," chairman of Tax Justice Aotearoa Glenn Barclay said in a statement. "It should not be for the profit of anyone and it means that the details of thousands of road users will be held and managed by private organisations with no accountability back to the public." "Putting RUC in the hands of private companies, who will need to make a profit on the transactions, is a recipe for higher fees for drivers," the Public Service Association union's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said. Will all this actually save people money? ADVERTISEMENT It's unclear. Petrol could in theory be cheaper, but will be somewhat offset by RUCs all vehicle owners must pay. "This is a once-in-a-generation change," Bishop said. "It's the right thing to do, it's the fair thing to do, and it will future proof how we fund our roads for decades to come." Collins said the distance-based changes could benefit certain drivers, such as those who own multiple vehicles that aren't actually travelling much, or boat users. "Nothing's going to be cheaper, we know that," he said. "It's like saying do you think that your cars are going to be cheaper in three years' time?" "Realistically, we want to be building a modern safe roading network and that's not cheap. All of us as road users need to contribute to that." By Nik Dirga of
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
What we know so far about the new road user charges and the end of petrol tax
The government proposes to phase out petrol taxes in favour of electronic road user charges by 2027. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Explainer - The government made it official this week that the petrol tax is on the way out, to be replaced by electronic road user charges, or RUCs, for everyone. Drivers of all light vehicles - petrol, hybrid, diesel and electric - will now pay for road use based on distance travelled and vehicle weight, instead of an extra charge at the pump. Right now, Road User Charges (RUC) only apply to vehicles not powered wholly by petrol, and all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. An awful lot of the specifics around the new system remain uncertain, as the government considers how to implement the plan. But here's what we know so far. All of Aotearoa's 3.5 million light vehicle owners will need to pay RUC fees to help pay for road upkeep and maintenance. But exactly how the fees will be set and collected are still a work in progress. In making the announcement, Transportation Minister Chris Bishop said it was "the biggest change to how we fund our roading network in 50 years". It comes as more and more drivers use hybrids, electric vehicles or other technology. Bishop said the number of fuel-efficient petrol hybrid vehicles has jumped from 12,000 in 2015 to 350,000 today. "As our vehicle fleet changes, so too must the way we fund our roads. It isn't fair to have Kiwis who drive less and who can't afford a fuel-efficient car paying more than people who can afford one and drive more often." "This is a change that simply has to happen. The government has recognised reality and is getting on with the transition." Replacing fuel excise taxes with electronic road user charging was part of National and ACT's coalition agreement. The government's been signalling this move for some time and last year scrapped an Auckland regional fuel tax of 11.5 cents per litre . AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins said while the association thinks the changes are good in principle, "we need to see the detail". Transportation Minister Chris Bishop. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone That's one of the big question marks right now. Under the system, all vehicles would be paying for road use based on distance and their vehicle's weight, Bishop said, but no detail on the weight limits was given. The current RUC for light vehicles - under 3500kg - are $76 per 1000km. The average Toyota Corolla weighs between 1200-1500kg. Charges can widely vary for larger vehicles under the current RUC, according to NTZA's website . There's also an administration fee of $12-$13 per transaction. No costs or parameters for the new system have been announced, but just as an example under the current RUC setup, a small electric vehicle would pay more than $760 including fees for 10,000km worth of credits. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook Again, answer unclear. Bishop said currently, petrol drivers pay a tax of about 70 cents per litre. However, the AA says that the full cost of fuel excise, duties and taxes such as GST altogether was over $1.20 per litre as of mid-2024 . There's no real way of knowing yet if the changes would automatically drop 70 cents or more from fuel prices. Legislative work toward the changes will begin next year, with the government eyeing 2027 for the new system to take place. "At this stage, no date has been set for the full transition of the light vehicle fleet," Bishop said. "That's a deliberate choice, as we're focused on getting the system right rather than rushing its rollout." The legislative plans include: "The changes will support a more user-friendly, technology-enabled RUC system, with multiple retail options available for motorists," Bishop said in announcing the changes. "Eventually, paying for RUC should be like paying a power bill online, or a Netflix subscription. Simple and easy." Bishop told ThreeNews that users could possibly pay road RUCs through an app, and log in and pay what they owed at the end of each month. The next step for the plan is changes to the Road User Charges Act 2012, and a bill will be introduced to Parliament and referred to a Select Committee for public input. "I expect to pass legislation in 2026, followed by an updated Code of Practice for RUC providers," Bishop said. "We will also engage with the market in 2026 to assess technological solutions and delivery timelines. In parallel, NZTA and Police will upgrade their systems to support enforcement in a digital environment." An example of a current road user charges permit. Photo: RNZ Bishop called the current setup for light vehicles a "clunky" system. You keep track of your odometer readings, pay for RUC in 1000km chunks and put a sticker on your windscreen that shows how many km they are good for. Once your odometer passes the number you've paid for in RUC, you need to pay for more. "We're not going to shift millions of drivers from a simple system at the pump to queues at retailers," Bishop said. "So, instead of expanding a clunky government system, we will reform the rules to allow the market to deliver innovative, user-friendly services for drivers." The AA's Martin Glynn told Morning Report that it's not the easiest system for users. "The biggest problem with it, people need to keep an eye on their odometers and see if they've used up their RUC and need to buy more. That's probably the biggest problem with it." However, the government said it wants to shift away from the "outdated" system and replace it with greater use of electronic RUC, or eRUCs. Basically, instead of having to keep track of your odometer readings and paying as you go for km credits, it's a device that does that work automatically. There are a variety in place now for current requirements. There are several approved eRUC providers for the heavy vehicle fleet of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. "EROAD's system automatically records the distance each vehicle travels on-road and accurately records all off-road travel with its intuitive GPS-tracking capability," the website of one of the providers, EROAD, states. Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett applauded the change and said it could work well with other transport charges. "User-charging is a fair, proven way to fund infrastructure. eRUC will make it easier to apply that principle consistently across all vehicles, whether petrol, diesel, electric or hybrid, and as our transport system evolves. "We also see the use of flexible payment methods and the integration of eRUC with other transport charges such as tolling and congestion pricing as sensible moves." However, there's still a lot of questions around the costs of implementing eRUCs for everyone. Would all cars be fitted with new devices or would some kind of self-monitoring system be in place for those with older vehicles? There's also been a fair bit of talk doing the rounds on social media about the idea of electronic records on vehicle travel and worries about the government tracking people. In a statement to RNZ, Bishop said there were privacy protections in place and it would remain a concern in developing the new systems. "The Road User Charges Act 2012 has existing provisions that protect privacy by limiting what RUC electronic information the RUC collector can access. "Location data can only be accessed to verify where the driver is owed a refund for off-road use. "Officials will be engaging with the market and stakeholders (including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner) on the features of potential solutions, such as cost, privacy and ease of use." The AA's Collins said it would be important to see the detail of "who has that information and what's done with it". "Everybody in the trucking industry wants to have that technology fitted. I don't think that's the case in the light fleet." Collins noted that our phones - which almost everyone has with them in their cars - are also packed with tracking technology. Other countries have managed similar systems, he said, but "it's what the data will ultimately be used for in the future that's the biggest concern". In their announcement, the government also said that private firms will take over the collection and administration of charges from NZTA, "to foster fairer competition". Tax Justice Aotearoa said they were concerned about that change and taking the responsibility away from the government. "We are deeply concerned by this initiative as using the power of the state to require citizens to pay charges decided by the state is a core function of government," Chair of Tax Justice Aotearoa Glenn Barclay said in a statement. "It should not be for the profit of anyone and it means that the details of thousands of road users will be held and managed by private organisations with no accountability back to the public." "Putting RUC in the hands of private companies, who will need to make a profit on the transactions, is a recipe for higher fees for drivers," the Public Service Association union's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said. All vehicles will now have to pay RUCs. Photo: RNZ / Nicky Park It's unclear. Petrol could in theory be cheaper, but will be somewhat offset by RUCs all vehicle owners must pay. "This is a once-in-a-generation change," Bishop said. "It's the right thing to do, it's the fair thing to do, and it will future proof how we fund our roads for decades to come." Collins said the distance-based changes could benefit certain drivers, such as those who own multiple vehicles that aren't actually travelling much, or boat users. "Nothing's going to be cheaper, we know that," he said. "It's like saying do you think that your cars are going to be cheaper in three years' time?" "Realistically, we want to be building a modern safe roading network and that's not cheap. All of us as road users need to contribute to that." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
2 days ago
- 1News
Road user charge plan a 'good idea', but privacy a concern
An expert says he has concerns about privacy and data collection as the Government plans to expand the use of road user charges. Yesterday, the Government signed off on the first steps towards scrapping petrol tax and shifting all vehicles onto electronic road user charges (RUC). Currently New Zealanders help pay for the roads via their vehicle licence (or 'rego') fee, road user charges (RUC) and the petrol excise duty (PED). Minister of Transport Chris Bishop said the transition would ensure all vehicles pay based on actual road use (including weight) regardless of fuel type, and said eventually paying RUC would be similar to paying a monthly electricity bill. Speaking to Breakfast, AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins said generally the move was "a good idea, but has some challenges", particularly around privacy and data collection. ADVERTISEMENT "If they're going to electronically monitor every vehicle, it's the privacy issues around it," he said. AA principal policy advisor Terry Collins. (Source: Breakfast) "Who wants to know where you are and when? And that unlocks that whole issue around everything to do with phones, and the data. Who has it, and what do they want to do with it?" He said there were some "really good" aspects to the proposed legislative changes, including distance-based Warrant of Fitness. However, Collins also raised concerns about the cost of putting a transponder in each car and the practicalities of monitoring each car. "I think generally they don't want to have day-to-day monitoring (which) would be very expensive and it will be invasive. So it's how you download that information about your travel on a semi-regular basis, maybe monthly, where they can record it and send you the report." The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including privacy concerns over road user charges, possible changes to Wellington's waterfront, and one of the biggest sports memorabilia heists ever. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT He said there were some "real challenges ahead" to understand how to collect the data safely. "Fuel excise duty was the cheapest to collect and hardest to evade, this one's going to be hardest to collect and the easiest to evade, so there's some real challenges ahead." Transport Minister responds Chris Bishop told Breakfast that the Government would engage with the Privacy Commissioner to ensure data was collected safely. Chris Bishop said paying for RUC would be similar to paying an electricity bill at the end of each month. (Source: Breakfast) 'Ultimately, the standards will be set by the Government, and there will be potentially a range of competing providers. And I get the concerns around privacy,' he said. He said other places, such as Sydney, already used transponder technology in their cars to monitor where they were going and what they were doing. ADVERTISEMENT 'When you go through a toll gantry it gives a little beep, and it charges you to your credit card and you pay at the end of the month, or week, or whatever.' 'In other countries jurisdictions they've had those for over a decade, so we're actually miles behind the rest of the world. 'And some of these concerns around privacy, and tracking, things like that, we are really conscious about that and we are going to work our way through that to protect against all of that kind of stuff.' Labour's Peeni Henare said there were still questions Kiwis would want answered before the rollout of the new system, expected in 2027.
