The site will be under seal care tomorrow during the day, so people should take extra care travelling this section of road with a temporary 30km/h speed limit in place.

It’s crucial that vehicles slow down when passing through the worksite and follow the temporary speed restrictions, to ensure the seal isn’t damaged and the safety of both driver and road workers is maintained.

The road will then be swept and line marked tomorrow night (Thursday 7 March).

Further north on SH1 near Baldrock Road, just north of Kaiwaka, chip-sealing work is scheduled to take place tomorrow night (Thursday 7 March). A temporary 30km/h speed limit will be in place on Friday while the seal is set and then the road will be swept and line marked over the weekend.

We appreciate this will still cause some delays to road users and we thank you for your patience.

It is critical for our team to complete our road renewal programme before winter sets in so that everyone can enjoy a safe and smooth journey.

Both sites will be continuously monitored to ensure any traffic delays or queues caused by the works are managed.  If they’re not, the team will take immediate action to mitigate the impact and minimise delays.

NZTA Journey Planner

This work is weather dependent and will be moved to the next available night if the weather is unsuitable.

Drivers can expect delays while travelling the route. They should take extra care when travelling through the crash site.

NZTA/Waka Kotahi  wants to thank drivers for their patience and co-operation while contractors and emergency services continue their work.

1:35pm

The incident was reported just after midday and occurred near Bates and Canaan Roads.

Police have confirmed two vehicles were involved, with one person in a critical condition and one person  in a serious condition. The Police Serious Crash Unit has also been advised.

SH60 Tākaka Hill is currently closed and will remain so until the crash site is clear, and a Police scene examination is carried out. This is expected to take several hours.

Drivers must delay their travel. No alternative routes or detours are available.

Updates on the highway’s status can be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website

• Highway Conditions – Nelson/Marlborough

From Monday night 11 March, bridge inspections mean traffic will be paused for up to 50 minutes from 7 pm through to 6 am the next day. People will be able to drive across at the top of each hour for the first 10-15 minutes, at a reduced speed of 30km/hour.

“The inspection work is anticipated to take five nights to complete,” says Michael Tannock, Senior Network Manager Otago and Southland for NZTA. “If maintenance work is required, the same closures for repairs will run into the following week, 18-22 March.”

The overnight times have been chosen to coincide with lower traffic volumes. Emergency vehicles will have access at short notice. Pedestrian access will be available during the work also.

NZTA thanks everyone for their patience during the inspection week and potentially the following week for maintenance or preventative treatment work.

“Te Tai Tokerau has one of the highest rates of road deaths and serious injuries of any region in Aotearoa” says Steve Mutton, Director Regional Relationships NZTA.

“We are all vulnerable in a crash and there isn’t just one fix that will stop the harm that is happening on our roads.”

The road safety stand proved popular, educating people interactively by providing them with real life examples of the implications of a crash.

Two crashed cars were on display, demonstrating the big difference between a 1 star and a 5 star vehicle in a crash.

Visitors were also encouraged to wear alcohol and drug impairment goggles while trying to perform activities, highlighting the severe impact that impairment can have while driving.

Inspector Anne-Marie Fitchett, Northland Road Policing Manager, NZ Police says that while there were lots of laughs from participants visiting the road safety stand, the message from road safety groups is serious.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a good driver – we’re only human and we can’t be perfect all of the time. But a mistake shouldn’t result in people getting seriously injured or killed.

“We are all responsible for road safety. Choices like wearing seatbelts save lives – it’s that simple. Wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of surviving a crash by 40 percent” says Inspector Fitchett.

Over 700 people trialled the seatbelt impact simulator, which demonstrates the impact of a crash while wearing a seatbelt at speeds between 5-7km/hr depending on weight.

Nicole Korach, Programme Manager – Road Safety Promotion, Northern Transportation Alliance says that people were shown the correct way to wear their seatbelt and how our body moves in a crash until it hits something.

“The key message to everyone was to always wear your seatbelt. Wearing your seatbelt can save your life.”

Northland Field Days is one of the largest events held in Te Tai Tokerau. This year there were over 19,000 visitors to the event.