Speed limits in New Zealand - wikipedia Speed limits in New Zealand This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( September 2010 ) Speed limits in New Zealand are in kilometres per hour and range up to and including 110 km / h. New Zealand speed limits were in miles per hour ( mph ) until 1975, when the country metricated its road signage. Significant changes were made to the rules for setting speed limits in 2003 and 2011, including provision for 40 km / h limits. However, it was then necessary to introduce the Land Transport ( Speed Limits Validation ) Bill in 2015 to confirm the legitimacy of the previous changes. Another significant change in August 2017 introduced a provision for 110 km / h limits on some motorways and expressways. Some vehicles are restricted to lower overall speed limits such as trucks and vehicles with trailers ( 90 km / h ), and school buses displaying signs ( 80 km / h ). A 20 km / h speed limit applies to all traffic travelling both ways past school buses that have stopped to unload or pick up passengers ; and through accident sites. Although there is no minimum posted speed limit, it is illegal to drive at an `` unreasonably slow speed '' which means slow drivers are required by law to pull over to the side of the road to allow queues of cars behind them to pass. The police can and do enforce this law in which the offending driver is given anything from an NZ $ 150 infringement notice for Inconsiderate Driving to possibly an indictment for careless driving which is usually dealt with by the Courts. Contents 1 Advisory speeds 2 Current speed limits 3 Signage 4 References Advisory speeds Advisory speeds are indicated by a yellow sign with black lettering. They advise of a safe speed through a corner in good weather for a light motor vehicle. Heavy vehicle drivers are advised to keep 10 km / h below the advisory speed to avoid exceeding the static rollover threshold. Current speed limits By default, the speed limit is 50 km / h in urban and built - up areas, and 100 km / h outside urban and built - up areas and on expressways and motorways. Other speed limits include : 110 km / h -- found on selected high - quality motorways and expressways. No roads have this speed limit as of August 2017, however it is proposed to apply to sections of the Tauranga Eastern Link and the Waikato Expressway from late 2017. 90 km / h -- used sparingly as a compromise between a 80 km / h and a 100 km / h limit. 80 km / h -- generally found on rural access roads, winding rural roads, and limited - access urban arterial roads. Between metrication in 1975 and 1986, 80 km / h was the open road limit. 70 km / h -- used sparingly as a compromise between a 60 km / h and a 80 km / h limit. Historically it has been used in small country towns, urban fringes ( often preceding a change from the open limit to urban limit ), or where development is on only one side of the road. 60 km / h -- generally found on urban arterial roads, including those through rural townships. 40 km / h -- generally found in residential areas. The Land Transport Rule : Setting of Speed Limits 2003 allowed councils to set limits below 50 km / h in urban areas. Since then many councils have set lower limits. For example, Safer Speed Areas were first introduced in Hamilton in 2011 and by 2014 there were 36 of them. -- 30 km / h -- generally found in some city centres with high pedestrian traffic. Signage New Zealand speed limit signs follow the European model of a number inside a red circle. Sometimes, the open road limit occurs as a black forward slash inside a thin black ring ( similar to the UK 's National Speed Limit sign ). ( RG - 1 ) 10 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 20 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 30 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 40 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 50 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 60 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 70 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 80 km / h speed limit ( RG - 1 ) 90 km / h speed limit ( RG - 2 ) 100 km / h speed limit ( this is the maximum legal speed for motor vehicles in New Zealand, unless otherwise specified ) ( RG - 2.1 ) Speed Limit Derestriction ( open road with no posted speed limit, but the maximum legal limit of 100 km / h still must be obeyed ) ( PW - 25 ) 55 km / h advisory speed ( RG - 3 ) Limited Speed Zone ( no longer in use ) References Speed limits, New Zealand Road Code. Policy and procedures for setting speed limits, Speed Limits New Zealand. Jump up ^ Department of Internal Affairs Regulatory Impact Statement : Land Transport ( Speed Limits Validation ) Bill 2015 ^ Jump up to : `` New speed limit of 110km / h for some key New Zealand expressways ''. The New Zealand Herald. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ Advisory speeds vs speed limits Jump up ^ Keep it 10 Below - Waikato Regional Council 's Reduce the Risk project Jump up ^ Wishart, Ian. `` SPEED KILLS - OR DOES IT ? ''. INVESTIGATE : JULY 00. Retrieved 5 December 2013. Jump up ^ NZTA Guidelines for setting speed limits and procedures for calculating speed limits p. 45 Jump up ^ 26 Feb 2014 HCC media release - Further 40km / h speed limits for Hamilton Speed limits in Oceania Sovereign states Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Associated states of New Zealand Cook Islands Niue Dependencies and other territories American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Speed_limits_in_New_Zealand&oldid=796986658 '' Categories : Speed limits by country Road transport in New Zealand Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from September 2010 All articles lacking in - text citations Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 24 August 2017, at 08 : 08. 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Question: when did new zealand change from miles to kilometres
Answer: 1975