Whakatāne District Council wants the speed limit on sections of State Highway 30 between Whakatāne and Tikitere to revert to 100kmh.

The council will be submitting to New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to this effect and asking that the short section between the Whakatāne Bridge and the Gateway Drive roundabout remain at 60kmh, not revert to 80kmh as signalled by the Government late last month.

Also included in the council’s submission is a request to extend the 80kmh area between The Hub and Shaw Road to just west of Thornton Road, given it has plans to change the speed limit on Thornton Road between the intersection with SH30 and the Blueberry corner curves to 80kmh.

At a meeting of the council’s infrastructure and planning committee yesterday, councillors were asked whether they wanted to make a submission to the agency’s public consultation, which closes on March 13.

Julie Jukes moved the council to submit that it would like to see speed limits revert to the previous limits of 100kmh in some areas. Mayor Victor Luca seconded the motion.

Councillor Gavin Dennis argued against raising the speed limit as it “went against the whole concept of trying to reduce death and serious injury”.

“I believe we should retain the current speed limits. These current speed limits were put in by the previous government after a lot of research of facts and figures from Waka Kotahi. This current reversion doesn’t come up with any facts or figures that provide a reason they should go back except it might save you a minute.”

Mr Dennis, who is Matata Volunteer Fire Brigade’s chief fire officer, said he believed there had been a lot fewer accidents since the reduction to 80kmh.

Ms Jukes said although she agreed with some of what Mr Dennis said, it was about saving more than just one minute.

“It’s now 15 to 20 minutes extra to get to Rotorua.”

As an example of the loss of productivity this caused for businesses, she mentioned a business with four employees travelling back and forth between Whakatāne and Rotorua which had lost 10 hours of productivity a week.

Mr Dennis and councillor Ngapera Rangiaho voted against submitting for raising the speed limits while the remaining councillors supported the motion.

The Government announced in January that it would be reversing blanket speed limit reductions brought in since 2020.

However, the only section of road in the Whakatāne district on which the speed limit will be automatically reversed under the new rules is from the bridge to the Gateway Drive roundabout. Currently this section has a 60kmh speed limit, which will revert to 80kmh by July 1.

Whakatāne councillors voted to include in their submission that they wished to retain the 60kmh speed limit between the Whakatane Bridge and Gateway Drive. Only councillor Wilson James said he would prefer to keep that section of the highway at 80kmh.

Several other sections of State Highway 30 between Whakatāne and Tikitere are part of the current consultation and will revert to 100kmh if there is no public support to retain the current 80kmh speed limit.

These include 8.25km between Shaw Road and Awakeri, 8.62km between Awakeri and Te Teko, 16.1km between Te Teko and Lake Rotomā and 4.51km between Lake Rotomā and Lake Rotoehu.

Sections not included in the consultation, that will retain their current speed limit are Te Teko east, the Rotomā hills from the western Kawerau turnoff to west of Oxford Road, Rotoma, Hinehopu to Hauparu and Hauparu to Tikitere.

Lesley Immink also requested the council’s continued support for a roundabout at the intersection of Mill Road be included in the submission.

Ms Jukes asked that the council provide feedback to Waka Kotahi about the difficulty of making a submission on the department’s website.