Agenda of Regional Transport Committee

Regional Transport Committee item: 6.1

1 April 2025

TITLE:	Regional Land Transport Plan 2021/2027 - National Funding Assistance Uptake Report
From:	Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 24 March 2025

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This report covers subsidy claims submitted to the New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) for the first financial year of the Regional Land Transport Plan Three Year Review that covers the 2024-2027 three-year funding period and details the funding assistance uptake by each Approved Road Controlling Authority for the financial period 1 July 2024 to 28 February 2025.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Regional Land Transport Plan 2021/2027 - National Funding Assistance Uptake Report’ by Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council and dated 6 March 2025, be received.

Background/Tuhinga

Section 106 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 stipulates that: -

(1) The functions of each regional transport committee (other than the regional transport committee for Auckland) are—

(a) to prepare a regional land transport plan, or any variation to the plan, for the approval of the relevant regional council; and

(b) to provide the regional council with any advice and assistance the regional council may request in relation to its transport responsibilities.

In addition to the above, one of the functions of the Regional Transport Committee (RTC) is to monitor the progress of the relevant Regional Land Transport Plan Three Year Review (RLTP).

This report provides the RTC with a quarterly update on the uplift of funding assistance applied for through the Northland Regional Land Transport Plan Three Year Review and approved in the National Land Transport Programme 2024-2027 (NLTP) for the Far North District Council, Whangarei District Council, Kaipara District Council, New Zealand Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi and the Northland Regional Council transport related works and projects. These are tabled at each Regional Transport Committee (RTC) meeting for consideration.

It is important to note that to obtain all the information for the compilation of the attached funding sheets, the financial figures reflected in this report are a full month in arears of the RTC meeting itself.

These reports and attached spreadsheets provide the RTC with information relating to how each Activity Class/Programme: -

· Is tracking regarding the uptake of the funding assistance approved through the National Land Transport Programme 2021-2027 - Three Year Review for the relevant financial year.

· Supports the five Regional Strategic Objectives reflected in the Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-2027 – Three Year Review.

· Supports the seven Regional Priorities included in the Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-2027 – Three Year Review.

It also details: -

· The probability of all the approved funding assistance being fully uplifted in the relevant financial year, and

· The reasons for any variations and action to be taken.

As this report updates the RTC on the national funding assistance (subsidies) uptake for those Activities/Programmes approved in the NLTP reflected, the Attachments do not include non-subsidised projects or work categories.

The base information contained in the attachments is sourced directly from the New Zealand Transport Agency’s (Waka Kotahi) ‘2024-2027 National Land Transport Programme for Northland.

Any questions regarding the information reflected in the spreadsheets can be directed to the relevant approved Road Controlling Authority.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: Funding Uptake Spreadsheets and Graphs 1 April 2025. ⇩

Regional Transport Committee item: 7.4

1 April 2025

TITLE:	Regional Road Safety Report
From:	Nicole Cauty, Road Safety Project Manager and Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 14 March 2025

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This Report updates the Regional Transport Committee on the progress made on Northland Road to Zero program for local roads in Northland.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Regional Road Safety Report’ by, Nicole Cauty, Road Safety Project Manager and Nick Marshall, Transportation Strategy & Planning Lead, dated 14 March 2025, be received.

Background/ Tuhinga

The three district councils with NZTA have developed a comprehensive education and promotion programme to support in conjunction with other road safety partners the reduction of deaths and serious injuries on Northland roads.

Road Trauma Update

The fatal injuries data are broken down in the tables below. Compared to 2024 nationally there had been 62 fatal injuries and for Northland there had been 14 fatal injuries to date. There has been a significant improvement for Northland in 2025 so far.

Serious crashes in Northland have remained consistent as per the graph below. There have been 24 so far recorded for 2025 compared to 34 at the same time last year. These crashes can cause lifelong injuries for the people involved and road safety partners are looking into investigating these crashes further.

A graph of crash history for northland

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

There have also been two cases where tragically two children have been killed in private driveway incidents. Although these are not captured in our road trauma statistics as they happened on private property, they are concerning for the road safety partners. The team are looking into these incidents and working through best course of action.

Calendar Year 2025 - 1 January – 31 December, Provisional Road Fatalities Statistics

Fatalities Jan – Dec 2025	Far North	Whangārei	Kaipara	Northland	National
Local roads	1	1	0	2	41
State highways	2	0	1	3	26
TOTAL	3	1	1	5	67

Breakdown of the 2025 Deaths year to date: 5 Deaths

Fatal injuries per month
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	April	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Fatal	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fatal injuries by gender
Male	5
Female	0

Fatal injuries by role
Driver	3
Passenger	0
Motorcyclist	0
Cyclist	2
Pedestrian	0

Fatal injuries by age group
0 – 14 years	0
15 – 19 years	1
20 – 24 years	0
25 – 39 years	1
40 – 59 years	2
Over 60 years	1

Fatal injuries by speed corridors (Local Roads)		Fatal injuries by speed corridors (State Highways)
100 km/h	1	100 km/h	0
80 km/h	0	80 km/h	1
70 km/h	0	70 km/h	0
60 km/h	0	60 km/h	0
50 km/h	1	50 km/h	2
Total	2	Total	3

Road Safety Week

Road Safety Week is quickly approaching on the 12^th to 18^th May. The theme this year is focused on road safety heroes again, with some special interest in vulnerable road users. The working group has been meeting to plan the activities for the week including:

· A school visit each day to work with the crossing patrol students and encouraging schools to run road safety week events/discussions.

· Three child restraint workshops with Plunket and NZ Police encouraging families to come get their car seats checked to ensure they are installed correctly, and for any child restraint advice. These were really successful last year.

· Design a helmet competition run by Bike Northland.

· First of this year’s series of Rider Down workshops – a safety and first responder workshop for motorcyclists. This course is designed specifically for motorcyclists who ride in groups and provides valuable safety advice not only about riding but also how to respond to a rider who has come off their bike. This initiative is supported by Hato Hone St John.

· The annual road safety walk around the Town Basin loop on Friday the 16^th.

· Media spotlights on local community road safety heroes.

There will be more activities added as the week develops, but the group are always looking to get more schools and businesses involved in the week.

Road Safety at Snapper Bonanza on Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē

The Far North REAP Road Safety Team were present at the Snapper Bonanza 2025, held along Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē (90 Mile Beach). It is widely regarded as one of the largest surfcasting snapper competitions in the world. The event welcomed over 1,200 anglers and wider community over the course of five days.

The team took the opportunity to engage with participants and promote the “Be a Bro, Be a Sober B.R.O” campaign. The team distributed “Sober Driver” buckets as a token of appreciation to those who committed to being designated drivers during the event, acknowledging their responsible planning.

It was incredibly rewarding to see the Road Safety logo and messaging prominently displayed on the back of the anglers' tickets, which they wore throughout the competition. Additionally, Tuatua Tavern kindly provided a courtesy van, offering a convenient and safe transportation option for participants.

Drug Impaired Driving (DID) Course

As per the NZ Police update below, once NZ Police can use oral fluid testing to test for drug impaired driving, potentially more drivers will be charged with driving while under the influence of drugs, much like with alcohol. The Northland Road Safety Trust have proactively implemented a drug impaired driving course to help those that may be charged with an offence or identify within themselves that they need some help.

This course specifically focuses on drug driving that addresses the justifications that contribute to continued drug driving behaviour. DID focuses on facts and the effects of common drugs and the impact on driving. It incorporates evidenced based interventions such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy, and relapse prevention. The evidence around what works with the offender population that has been applied to the drink driving course with a 89% non-reoffending rate is applied.

Individuals can self-refer onto this course, and NZ Police, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Social Development are also referring onto this course currently. 16 individuals have completed this course this financial year.

Fatalities

Date	Time	Location	Notes
20/01/2025	5.00am	SH14, Tangiteroria	Single vehicle failed to navigate a left-hand bend and collided with a tree.
28/01/2025	10.20pm	Settlers Way, Okaihau	Cyclist has collided head on with a car.
06/02/2025	11.16am	Kaikanui Road, Helena Bay	Cyclist travelling around a downhill bend has collided with a ute travelling uphill.
19/02/2025	10.40pm	SH10, Kaingaroa	Single vehicle failed to take a right-hand bend collided with a tree and rolled down a bank. Driver ejected.
07/03/2025	9.40pm	SH10, Waipapa	Single vehicle failed to take a left-hand corner. Left the road, rolling and colliding with trees.

Fatalities are sitting at five for 2025 (as at 13/05/2025). At the same time in 2024, the road toll for Northland was 14. There have also been two child fatalities (private driveways). The first occurred on 23/02/2025 on Church Road, Whangarei. A three-year-old died after falling from a moving vehicle on a driveway. On 3/03/2025 a one-year-old child died after running in front of a moving vehicle on the driveway and being run over.

While it is too early to identify impairment themes (still awaiting toxicology for some), two crashes involved no seatbelt and speed is a contributing factor in two crashes. This is an ongoing trend following the DSI statistics for 2024 and previous years.

Impairment

Between the dates of 1 July 2024 and 2 March 2025:

Ø 116,883 breath tests were conducted (this compares with 87,883 for the same period last year).

A group of police officers standing in front of cars

AI-generated content may be incorrect. A police officer taking a picture of a car

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Speed

Between 1 July 2024 and 2 March 2025:

Ø 13,307 officer issued infringements were served (compared with 10,271 for the same period last year).

Ø 9031 (68%) were issued on roads with an 80km or higher speed limit.

Police will be focusing on speed operations throughout March and April, including support from Auckland Road Policing teams. Speed and impairment factor frequently in Northland DSIs.

Waitangi

Police conducted several checkpoints across the district during the Waitangi week. An Auckland Impairment Team covered the Whangarei area while local staff were involved in Operation Waitangi, VIP movements and traffic management support. Over 4,000 BSTs were carried out in Whangarei during the week of Waitangi and most drivers were sober, which is what we are wanting to see.

Oral Fluid Testing

The new Land Transport (Drug Driving) Bill is expected to receive Royal assent in the first quarter of 2025 (very soon). The changes to the legislation will allow Police to begin the testing of drivers’ oral fluid (saliva) at the roadside for drugs that have the highest risk to road safety, on a random basis (like alcohol testing). The roadside drug testing regime will be presence-based as opposed to an impairment-based regime. The CIT must still be used for impairment in relation to drugs and alcohol.

Key changes to the Bill include:

· New drug testing device approval criteria.

· The roadside test is a ‘screening’ test for the presence of drug/s or family of drug/s. The test is called an ‘oral fluid screening test’.

· New oral fluid screening test thresholds (levels) for drug-driving drugs.

· A positive oral fluid screening test will require a laboratory test to confirm the results.

· If the laboratory confirms the result, an infringement will then be issued. This is predominantly an infringement offence, because it is based on ‘presence’ as opposed to ‘impairment.’

Key points to note:

· As much as possible the roadside testing process for drugs will be similar to the process for alcohol.

· No changes have been made to the legislation about which drugs could be tested (as per Schedule 5 of the Act), these include 21 prescription medicines and four illicit drugs. Which ones and how many Police test for is still to be confirmed.

· Police have started the process for procuring a roadside drug testing device.

The compulsory impairment test (CIT) remains the impairment test for drugs or alcohol.

It’s still possible there could be further changes to the Bill. It is intended that the OFT process will be operational by December 2025 – starting with a slow rollout to ensure any operational issues are able to be addressed.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

Regional Transport Committee item: 7.7

1 April 2025

TITLE:	Committee Members Priorities and Updates
From:	Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council and Kayla Gunson, Regional Transport Coordinator
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 21 March 2025

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

The purpose of this agenda item is to provide each Elected Representative of the Northland Regional Transport Committee the opportunity to communicate the key strategic transportation issues identified by their respective Council/Organisation via either a written report or verbal update.

Members reports can help provide a list of strategic outputs for further consideration by the RTC.

Council roading and transport staff will be present at the meeting to provide responses to any questions or requests for information raised as part of their respective member updates.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

1. That the report ‘Committee Members Priorities and Updates’ by Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council and Kayla Gunson, Regional Transport Coordinator and dated 10 March 2025, be received.

2. The supplementary verbal updates provided by Regional Transport Committee members be received.

Background/Tuhinga

Under the Northland Regional Transport Committee Terms of Reference, the functions of the Committee are defined as:

1. To prepare for approval by the Northland Regional Council:

a) a Regional Land Transport Plan for the Northland Region, or any variations to the plan or any reports on the plan prepared under the Land Transport Management Act 2003;

b) a Regional Public Transport Plan, or any variations to the plan prepared under the Land Transport Management Act 2003; and

c) to provide the regional council with any advice and assistance the regional council may request in relation to its transport responsibilities.

2. To adopt a policy that determines significance in respect of variations made to the Regional Land Transport Plan.

3. To regularly monitor and review progress towards the adoption and implementation of the Regional Land Transport Plan.

4.To approve procedures and requirements for implementing the council’s public passenger transport service registration functions under the Act.

5. To advise the council on any significant legislative changes, programmes, plans or reports relating to the region’s land transport system.

6. To liaise with Ministry of Transport, New Zealand Transport Agency, the Commissioner of Police, district councils, Northland’s Road Safety Forum and other interests on land transport matters and advise the council on appropriate new initiatives.

7. To regularly monitor and review progress towards the performance targets and outcomes relative to land transport contained in the current Long-Term Plan and Annual Plan. members are tasked to regularly monitor and review progress towards the performance targets and outcomes related to land transport contained in the current Council Long-Term Plan and Annual Plan.

The objective of these regular member updates is to provide staff with clear understanding of the Regional Transport Committee’s key strategic issues and priorities to inform works associated with the 2024/2027 RLTP (and individual Council LTP’s where applicable). These reports can help provide a list of strategic outputs for further consideration by the RTC.

At the time of completing this report, no written information had been received, therefore all updates will be verbal.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

FNDC Councillor, Steve McNally	WDC Councillor, Simon Reid	KDC Councillor, Ash Nayyar
Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships, Steve Mutton	NRC Deputy Chairperson, John Blackwell	KiwiRail Programme Director Northland, Eric Hennephof

TITLE:	Confirmation of Minutes - 11 February 2025
From:	Haylee Labelle, Personal Assistant Community Resilience
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 14 March 2025

TITLE:	Receipt of Action Sheet
From:	Haylee Labelle, Personal Assistant Community Resilience
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 24 March 2025

TITLE:	Road Controlling Authority Reports
From:	Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 25 March 2025

TITLE:	NZTA Waka Kotahi Update for Te Tai Tokerau
From:	Steve Mutton, NZTA - Director Regional Relationships, Te Tai Tokerau me Tāmaki Makaurau
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 20 March 2025

TITLE:	KiwiRail Update
From:	Eric Hennephof, KiwiRail - Programme Director Northland
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 18 March 2025

TITLE:	Regional Transport Infrastructure Resilience Study
From:	Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 12 March 2025

TITLE:	Government Procurement Rules - Consultation
From:	Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 13 March 2025