Podcasts about transport agency

Works toward improved public transport for northwest Auckland are a step closer after an investment case was endorsed by the Transport Agency, the Minister of Transport says. The announcement on the Northwest Rapid Transit plan - which includes public transport on State Highway 16 (SH16) from Brigham Creek to the city centre and a Northwest Busway - was made by Chris Bishop earlier in the week. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's widespread uncertainty among developers after a Department of Conservation wildlife permit was deemed unlawful. The High Court in Wellington made the decision over the Transport Agency having permission to inadvertently kill protected wildlife at the Mt Messenger project site. The decision broadly means nothing can be killed unless it has a disease, there is overpopulation - or something similar. Simpson Grierson partner Sally McKechnie says some permits may now be invalid. "It's a case by case basis that will depend on the given permit - but we've got clients, we know we've got colleague firms around town that have clients trying to work exactly that out." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport sector emissions are a significant and growing contributor to both Australia and New Zealand's total greenhouse gas emissions. Enabled transport sector emissions – those occurring as a result of use of transport systems (e.g. road user emissions) account for the largest portion of transport sector emissions. Beyond road user emissions, there are also significant emissions associated with direct transport agency operations and supply chain embodied emissions from the construction and maintenance of associated infrastructure. The Decarbonisation Decision-Making Guidance (User Guide), and associated multi-criteria analysis (MCA) tool, aims to assist agencies and practitioners in the strategic prioritisation of emission reduction interventions. The User Guide and MCA tool are designed to work alongside (not replace) established decision-making processes such as business cases and cost-benefit analysis. The User Guide and MCA tool provide a systematic approach for assessing and prioritising interventions and facilitating an evidence-based decision-making process to prioritise the most impactful, cost-effective, and technologically viable options. The approach was developed in line with the Infrastructure Australia Guide to multi-criteria analysis – Technical guide of the Assessment Framework. This webinar, presented by Nick Gallaugher and Georgia Harmey, provides an overview of the User Guide and MCA tool outlining the key concepts and process.

The Transport Agency is telling bus and train providers to take in more money, which could force fare hikes. Wellington's Regional Council is rejecting the call from NZTA. Transport Committee Chair Thomas Nash says it would mean unaffordable 70 percent fare increases during a cost of living crisis. "You'd end up just pushing people back into cars, more people will be on the road and it would be more congested - which I think is the opposite of what we need." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Agency's spending is in the spotlight. The Transport Minister's calling NZTA's costs “eye-watering” and excessive after revealing a near $800 million spend on traffic management over the past three years. Simeon Brown says a new framework is coming to reduce costs. Traffic Direct General Manager Dev Strause told Mike Hosking it will be made, but change doesn't happen overnight. He says it takes a bit of fine tuning to be able to redevelop and retrain all the workers, especially when some have been in the industry for over a decade. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Agency has spent nearly $800 million on traffic management in the past three years, according to new reports. The Government has revealed the spend went to road cones, temporary traffic management, state highway maintenance and capital works. Transport Minister Simeon Brown says this is an 'exorbitant' sum and the spending needs to come down. "We need to see a much more efficient use of taxpayers' money when it comes to maintaining our roads and keeping road workers safe - we have to get that balance right." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 20 November 2024, the new Police Commissioner Richard Chambers tells Heather he will bring a different style to police leadership than his predecessor. Transport Minister Simeon Brown reveals the Transport Agency has spent almost $800 million on road cones and traffic management over the past three years. Heather reckons we need to be careful when celebrating the drop of alcohol consumption among young people. Plus the Huddle debates Auckland Transport's decision to fine people $70 for parking in their driveway. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's little doubt there's unnecessary spend at the Transport Agency. The Transport Minister's called NZTA's costs eye-watering and excessive, after revealing a near $800 million spend over the past three years. That went to road cones, traffic management, state highway maintenance, and capital works. Temporary Traffic Management Chair Dave Tilton told Ryan Bridge he believes it's a systemic issue around how much temporary traffic management is deployed. He says it's a prescriptive system, which doesn't give room for site-specific considerations. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 19 November 2024, tens of thousands of protesters have turned up at Parliament to protest the Treaty Principles Bill. Senior political correspondent Barry Soper was there and tells Heather how he saw the day play out. Shane Jones and David Seymour reckon there should be harsher penalties for MPs who misbehave in Parliament, after the Maori Party's haka went viral on social media. There's concern that the lack of water infrastructure will significantly slow down housing developments in Auckland over coming years. Plus the Huddle debates whether the Transport Agency is out of line closing the Desert Road for two months for maintenance. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government promises it's pulling all the levers to bring down driver licence wait times. It's allowing people to drive on an overseas licence for 18 months in November, extending it from a year. The Transport Minister's admitted there's still more work to do after scrapping the unlimited free driver licence re-sit policy. Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking NZTA is speeding up the training process as well. He says the Transport Agency's recruited extra training officers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Werere + Jason Momoa = BFFs! Chris and Jasher are catching up to chat about Sam Mendes movies, read the latest NZ film news, and share the cool things coming up this month on 1978. CHAPTERS (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:45) What we've been watching (00:11:35) NZ film news (00:24:11) October on 1978 (00:37:37) Did you know? (00:43:58) Next week LINKS Send us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1978podcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Songs by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stanley Gurvich⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Stephen Garton⁠⁠⁠⁠, and Just for Kicks⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The Transport Agency said it's too early to tell whether the icy Mackenzie District highway where two buses crashed should have been closed earlier. Fifteen people were taken to hospital, two in a serious condition, after the buses carrying international tourists crashed near each other on State Highway 8 yesterday morning, Tess Brunton reports.

Freight operators are thrilled they can deliver goods to Northland a lot faster from next week.  State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyns will reopen to two-way traffic from 11.59pm next Wednesday, just in time for Matariki weekend.  The Transport Agency says additional space has been created so crews can work on repairs without lengthy closures.  James Smith, General Manager of Policy and Advocacy at the National Road Carriers Association, told Mike Hosking that it's important to note that this repair only gives them another seven years of the Brynderwyns, and then the whole lots coming down.  He said that what they're saying is that while that fix is in place, let's get on with building the diversion as fast as they can, because if the previous government had continued with it, it would've been just about done by this point.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister's confident the pothole prevention funding boost will result in more roads being fixed.  The Transport Agency's confirmed it'll put more than $2 billion into prevention on state highways, and nearly $2 billion for local roads.  It'll cover resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance.  Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking that they're focused on getting the cost of traffic management down so more money goes towards actually fixing the infrastructure.  He says the Government's already been working with NZTA on this issue and found 145 of 800 traffic management sites were not needed.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a much-needed record funding boost in pothole prevention.  The Transport Agency's confirmed it'll put just over $2 billion into prevention on state highways, and nearly $2 billion for local roads.  It'll cover resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance, with more than 62,000 holes recorded last year.  Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett told Mike Hosking that the funding won't cover as much as it would've a few years ago because costs have risen.  He says larger investments and more consistency will result in better efficiency.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Agency is urging electric vehicle owners to pay their road user charges by Friday, or risk getting fined. Waka Kotahi NZTA's head of regulatory programmes Tara MacMillan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The future of the Waikato to Auckland passenger train service Te Huia will be decided on Thursday when the Transport Agency meets in Auckland. Reporter Libby Kirkby-McLeod spoke to Corin Dann.

Data from Waka Kotahi, the Transport Agency, shows most crashes in the city in the last three years involving pedestrians, cyclists, and people on scooters, have been in the Western suburbs. Reporter Maia Ingoe has more

Emails show the chief executive of the Transport Agency ordered the only line about a partnership with Maori removed from a press release about relegating the name 'Waka Kotahi' to second place. This occurred shortly after Nicole Rosie had stressed to staff upset at the name change, and to her board, that partnering with Maori was vital and would "expand". It came days after Transport Minister Simeon Brown told the agency to change its "branding and communication in media" as soon as possible. Phil Pennington has been reading through the 140 pages of emails. Pennington spoke to Corin Dann.

Big spends on the Mt Messenger bypass roading project, despite no road actually being built. The Transport Agency has already spent 60 percent of the $280 million dollar budget of the Taranaki project. New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom says there's no way the project will get done within the projected budget. He blames frivolous court cases for the hold up, and says it is time to get on with the job. "Yep, it's going to be expensive, but I can assure you that if we didn't build it and the mountain slipped down, it would be a hell of a lot more expensive for NZ inc." NZTA have confirmed they will be conducting a cost review, which is set to be completed in the first half of 2024. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon has rejected any climate criticism his party has received over its transport policy. National wants to spend about $25 billion dollars to build a suite of roads of national significance, as well as improving public transport in key centres. This at the same time as Waka Kotahi, the Transport Agency, is tasked with reducing transport emissions by 41% by 2035. So can National build massive motorways and expect emissions to fall? Auckland University's Dr Tim Welch specialises in transportation, infrastructure and urban modelling.  He spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A passenger train banned from downtown Auckland due to safety concerns after it ran two red lights, has been given the go ahead to return to the CBD from August 7th. Waka Kotahi slapped Te Huia, the Hamilton to Auckland train, with a prohibition order after two different drivers crashed stop signs on the network in two separate incidents; in one case another commuter train was forced to stop to avoid a potential collision. Since then Te Huia has been stopping more than 3km from the CBD at Papakura. As a condition of reentry into the city, the Transport Agency had said the train needed to be fitted with a specific sophisticated electronic control system that monitors the train in real time and can slow or take control of it. That hasn't happened but Waka Kotahi Director of Land Transport Neil Cook, explains they have reached an agreement on safety measures. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6331910711112

The multi million dollar Puhoi to Warkworth motorway could be at risk from a landslide just weeks after opening amid much fanfare. And it's been revealed the Transport Agency knew there was a problem before the ribbon was even cut on the $880 million project. Cracks have appeared in concrete barriers after recent storms reactivated a known landslip. Reports obtained by RNZ show the earth is moving towards the carriageway at a stop/start rate of sometimes more than 30cm a week. Waka Kotahi's general manager of transport services Brett Gliddon spoke to Lisa Owen [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6331372625112

Waka Kotahi hasn't been factoring climate change and resilience into many of its transport projects. A major report produced for the Transport Agency found a lack of future planning in its roading projects, with the Agency swamped by the need to respond to crises. Reporter Ben Strang obtained the report in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, and spoke to Ingird Hipkiss from our Wellington studio.

Road To Zero has failed to meet all bar one of its annual targets, with the Transport Agency blaming the pandemic and supply chain costs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local councils are expecting cutbacks in transport infrastructure because of a $600 million hole in the Transport Agency's budget. Waka Kotahi says project costs are higher than estimated, while the revenue available to fund work is about five percent less than predicted. It admits the funding shortfall will mean delays in the rollout of some projects, and a reduction in funding for councils. New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom says councils have hiked rates to pay for roading, and the government may need to tax more to fix the shortfall. Holdom spoke to Māni Dunlop.

Local councils are expecting cutbacks in transport infrastructure because of a $600 million hole in the Transport Agency's budget. Waka Kotahi says project costs are higher than estimated, while the revenue available to fund work is about five percent less than predicted. It admits the funding shortfall will mean delays in the rollout of some projects, and a reduction in funding for councils. New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom says councils have hiked rates to pay for roading, and the government may need to tax more to fix the shortfall. Holdom spoke to Mani Dunlop.

The Transport Agency is asking for feedback on its interim plan to reduce speeds on 400 kilometres of road. It means some 100 kilometres zones would drop to 80 or even 60 kilometres an hour. Waka Kotahi national manager of programme and standards Vanessa Browne says safety is at the heart of the Interim Plan. She spoke to Māni Dunlop.

Costs are rising and time is slipping on a new system to enable tolls to be charged on more roads. Transport Agency documents show the $39m system had been due to start up within months but instead it will be 2024. Only three highways are currently tolled but OIA documents talk about future and upcoming toll roads and even congestion charging. Reporter Phil Pennington spoke to Corin Dann.

MASS, Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships. A Working Group at the International Maritime Organisation focused on international regulations of autonomous ships. The Chairman of this Working Group is Henrik Tunfors, Senior Advisor at the Swedish Transport Agency, and he is the interviewee in episode 198 of the Shipping Podcast!  What do you think? Will we see a code for safety and regulations of MASS in 2025? What are the obstacles?  So many questions in this episode, but also so many good answers.

Waikato mayors and business leaders are requesting that the Transport Minister and the boss of Waka Kotahi Transport Agency New Zealand take a look at a particularly dangerous stretch of road. This road is located near Cambridge, and has been described by many as a 'death trap'. This reputation is justified, as the road has been responsible for 29 deaths since 2000, including one that took place yesterday. Here to discuss this issue is Waikato Chamber of Commerce CEO, Don Good. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Documents say the country's speed cameras were already a few years old when police put them in - and are now so ineffective they miss catching alot of drivers. The old cameras range from 75 percent to a whopping 1500 percent less effective than new high-tech ones. Though they were installed between nine and seven years ago, police actually bought them well before that, and they "were likely developed a further 10-20 years before that". This is revealed in a summary of a confidential due diligence report by accounting firm PWC to the Transport Agency late last year. The worst performing cameras are those used against red-light runners; they snap just one offender where a new one would snap 15.

The Transport Agency expects new speed cameras to triple the number of drivers caught, from one million to three million offences a year. It could have ramped things up still further but has pulled back from what it calls the "saturation" of roads in a "big bang" option. That is despite calculating this extreme approach would save hundreds more lives than the option now at hand - which it is already testing. Phil Pennington has been looking into this.

By Phil Pennington of RNZ Speed cameras that take two pictures at different spots in order to work out a vehicle's average speed could be in use within months. Transport Agency documents say law changes could allow them to be used against more offences including tailgating, and seeing inside a car to spot drivers using cellphones or not belted in. The OIA papers show Waka Kotahi has been working on this and a new highway tolling system that can also be used for congestion charging, for a couple of years. Its plans say the point-to-point or average-speed cameras "could be a game changer enabling us to manage corridor speeds rather than spot speed". They would be three times better than fixed or mobile speed cameras at cutting the road toll, a business case said. The smart cameras "can be used to provide evidence, for example, that a driver is using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt". "Camera-based enforcement can be invasive, as images are purposely taken of the driver and passenger compartment," the business case stated. A board paper from April said law changes under the Regulatory Stewardship Transport Amendment Bill meant from early 2023 there could be use of point-to-point cameras, automation of offence processing and fine notices delivered to cellphones. Already 26 of the new cameras are on order to add to the 142-strong network. The agency is calling them "safety cameras" in a Cabinet-ordered attempt "to shift the public away from perceptions that safety cameras are an enforcement, revenue-gathering tool". Medium and high-risk roads will be the target. A camera business case estimates they could save between 1500 and 2400 lives and $1.5 billion across two decades. The privacy implications are still being worked out with the Privacy Commissioner. Waka Kotahi refuses to specify the total cost of the camera system and new tolling system, saying this was to protect "ministers, members of organisations, officers, and employees from improper pressure or harassment". However, just the first phase - choosing the mix of cameras, where to put them and the design of the system - costs $21.6m, which is $10m more than expected, though the documents said that had not impacted the whole budget. Spanish traffic company SICE (Sociedad Ibérica de Construcciones Eléctricas) won the contract for the cameras and tolling. The work is being done quickly alongside a review of road offence penalties with the aim of saving 114 lives a year by 2030. As it stands, relatively few cameras per capita and lack of advanced cameras, along with very low penalties for speeding "greatly undermine the effectiveness of the enforcement approach", the papers say. In New Zealand the speeding fine for being 1-10km/h over the limit in an urban area is $30, compared to $370 in Sweden. Fines are set to rise and demerit points are very likely to be stiffer, and applied for the first time to camera offences. Authorities see all this as crucial to the Road to Zero strategy, with cameras expected to provide 5 per cent of the 40 per cent reduction in road deaths and serious injuries that is the strategy's primary goal. At present there are 142 safety cameras across its road network: 45 red-light, 54 fixed speed, and 43 mobile cameras, an increase of 30 since 2019. Waka Kotahi is taking them over from police, adding to its 2000 traffic management cameras. It would not say how many cameras it planned to have. "ITS and infrastructure will be future-proofed to enable Waka Kotahi to trial and adopt ... smart cameras" with "built-in intelligent image processing and pattern recognition algorithms [that] allow these cameras to detect motion, measure objects, read vehicle number plates, and recognise human behaviours", the camera business case says. Police were already testing prototypes of trailers to carry point-to-point speed cameras that might be used at roadworks. The aim with the network of three types of camera - point-to-point, red light, and standard used in both fixed and mobile operations - is to create an "anywhere, any time" deterrent. Research shows the public thinks speeding is much safer than it is: 44 per cent of all road deaths in the last decade were down to speed. Privacy implications On privacy, the business case says "the data and digital images captured by cameras, their storage, and their use all have privacy implications". "New issues will arise with new technologies that can be used for other than current safety-related purposes, such as average speed and mobile phone use detection." The agency expects a small rise in public support for cameras of up to 2.5 per cent as people see the safety benefits. On the tolling front, the documents show the current system used on just three highways is on its last legs. "As it is now, the current tolling system is a very inefficient way of collecting money," the business case said. One option was to run it to standstill, or outsource it entirely. There is an indication there will be more tolling: "Over time, it should be expected that the cost of an outsourced service will increase as more roads are tolled." SICE will provide and run all the back office systems. The business case does not mention congestion charging but the board paper says the upgrade is aimed at "upcoming toll roads as well as to support new capability that may be required, e.g. congestion charging".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newer, smarter speed cameras could be on their way which can catch you by recording your average speed between two points. Transport Agency documents show the new speed cameras can also detect if you are using your phone or not wearing a seatbelt. Phil Pennington has the documents.

Māori data specialists accuse the government of ignoring them while going ahead and  expanding the reach of facial recognition technology.  IT in use for three years at Internal Affairs is being extended for the Ministry of Social Development to use and to search the driver licence photo database at the Transport Agency. In a statement, Internal Affairs says it has worked closely with Māori and iwi leader groups over its business case on investing in digital identity.   

There's a saying about having nothing to fear, as long as you have nothing to hide.It's been used to justify increasingly intrusive data gathering, especially by government departments, and various infringements on our personal privacy.Crustier listeners this morning will remember the fuss over digitised photos on our driving licences.in the day that was pretty controversial, your driving licence becoming a de facto identity card.It would prevent fraud and stop people stealing our identities, so, we went along with it.Four years ago the police got live access to that system, mmm, seems logical. They should be able to check you are who you say you are, so, OK.Now there's a further extension of that; bringing in the Department of Internal Affairs so it can access drivers' photos.But the Transport Agency says oh, this is just so the DIA can use the licence photo to verify a person's identity, and only if the person agrees to it.And it denies there's been any kind of data dump of images to Internal Affairs or any other government agency.Oh, OK.But what is happening, and there's legislation in the pipeline, is a project to build an all-of-government digital identity system.So, Inland Revenue, Social Welfare, the Health Ministry and Immigration all with access to one very big database...and your photo.Still comfortable with that?All sorts of promises are being made about data security, but how many times have databases leaked or been raided in the past? Too many times.I'm by no means a conspiracy theorist, and I'm a law abiding taxpayer, so I don't think I have anything to hide.But I'm beginning to think I may have something to fear.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Agency plans to spend more than $50 million tackling risks to its outdated technology that have been rated "critical" for years. Internal reports show it has so far managed to overhaul its advanced traffic management system that helps keep roads safe. However, it has had to go looking for other projects to pause or defer and one result is a national ticketing system for public transport that has been in the works for six years has been delayed yet again. RNZ reporter Phil Pennington spoke to Susie Ferguson.

A Christchurch car dealer says mistakes with emissions data in the Clean Car Scheme have cost him $100,000 and counting. Others say the problems are skittling some deals for car buyers, propelling demand for hybrids and may add to vehicle prices. The Transport Agency says there is no systems-wide problem and few vehicles are affected. Phil Pennington reports.

Auckland homeowners who sold their properties to make way for a walking and cycling bridge over the Waitematā harbour have been left in limbo, now the project's been scrapped. The government set aside almost $800 million for the new crossing, and while the idea was dropped almost as soon as it had been announced - behind the scenes the wheels had already started turning. The Transport Agency paid out $12 million for four houses at Northcote and while some have moved out and on, others are fighting to stay put. Emma Hatton reports  

The Transport Agency is taking over nearly all the country's bitumen supply vital to road building because it believes it is being ripped off by suppliers. Documents show the agency warning that if it doesn't, the country overpaying in the $100m a year bitumen market will get worse. The agency denied to RNZ that it even has a plan, but Z Energy is already telling customers it will stop importing bitumen from July 2023 because NZTA's move will leave it no room to operate. Phil Pennington spoke to Susie Ferguson.

The shutdown of Marsden Point oil refinery is causing ructions in the intensely-under-pressure road building industry. Z Energy is accusing the Transport Agency of effectively forcing it to quit being the country's main bitumen importer. It said it had confirmed the government agency would intervene in a big way in the market, leaving it with "no viable commercial opportunity". Phil Pennington has the story.

Dr Deborah Hume is the National Manager of Multimodal and Innovation at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, the government organisation responsible for investing in, managing and regulating New Zealand's land transport system. In her interview with Michelle Batsas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ), Deb shares unmissable insights for anyone interested in a career in public transport (especially in New Zealand) including how public transport fits in to the New Zealand Government's emissions reduction targets and how Waka Kotahi's role has evolved in the past decade. Deb also shares her career journey and what she learnt from her most challenging yet rewarding role and the value of adding breadth to your professional experience.

The speed limit on a notorious stretch of highway has dropped to 80km/h an hour today. Motorists will now have to drive slower for about 70 kilometres between Napier and Taupō in a bid to make the road safer, after several fatal accidents. It's a move the transport agency says is crucial - but it hasn't been popular with regional leaders and many locals. Our Hawke's Bay reporter Tom Kitchin went for a drive.

Roads are being reimagined so people can party and children can play. Red tape has been cut, thanks to New Zealand's Transport Agency, so cars can be restricted on streets for a while. Kathryn King manages the Urban Mobility Programme at Waka Kotahi, where work is underway to make our transport system safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. Kathryn King tells Kathryn Ryan Play Streets is good for communities who want to gather, and good for children who enjoy getting out in the fresh air.

Roads are being reimagined so people can party and children can play. Red tape has been cut, thanks to New Zealand's Transport Agency, so cars can be restricted on streets for a while. Kathryn King manages the Urban Mobility Programme at Waka Kotahi, where work is underway to make our transport system safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. Kathryn King tells Kathryn Ryan Play Streets is good for communities who want to gather, and good for children who enjoy getting out in the fresh air.

A transport lobby group wants the country's $24 billion land transport plan scrapped and redone. The Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi, in August released its three-year plan for highways and other land transport, saying it supports emissions-reduction goals. Movement group chair Christine Rose says the plan runs counter to government goals. She spoke to Susie Ferguson.

A transport lobby group wants the country's $24 billion land transport plan scrapped and redone. The Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi, in August released its three-year plan for highways and other land transport, saying it supports emissions-reduction goals. Movement group chair Christine Rose says the plan runs counter to government goals. She spoke to Susie Ferguson.

A dangerous 20-kilometre-stretch of the road likely won't be getting any slower. 50 people have died between Western Hutt Rd and Kaitoke since 1987.The Transport Agency has been looking at how to eliminate fatal crashes and found lowering the speed limit would help, and made a submission.But the council has said no to lowering the speed limitUpper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy says that will be a cheap, quick fix and longer-term improvements are needed, like physical changes to the road.He spoke to Nick Mills on Wellington Mornings. 

Motorhome and horsetruck owners are demanding the Transport Agency drop a clampdown that is forcing vehicles off the road. Waka Kotahi has targeted structural modifications that allow drivers to crawl or walk between the cab and rear of the vehicle. But the safety checks need a specialist engineer sign off that is both expensive and hard to find. NZTA is promising a solution within a fortnight. Phil Pennington reports.