The National and Act coalition agreement committed to reversing the reductions implemented under the previous Labour government.
In total 38 sections of the state highway network will be reversed back to their previous higher speed limits by NZTA over the next five months.
The state highway speed limit changes will take effect across the country in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Whanganui, Greater Wellington, Canterbury, and the top of the South Island.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and newly-appointed Transport Minister Chris Bishop made the announcement near Featherston on SH2 on Wednesday morning.
"To ensure this process happens efficiently, over the next few months NZTA will incorporate the automatic speed reversal work alongside planned maintenance and project works," Bishop said in a statement.
A further 49 sections of state highway will be put out for public consultation so "local communities can have their say on keeping their current lower speed limit or returning to the previous higher speed," he said.
Public consultation on those roads will run for six weeks from tomorrow.
Councils have until 1 May to advise NZTA of local road changes, which will require reduced variable speed limits outside schools during pick up and drop off times.
"By 1 July 2026, local streets outside a school will be required to have a 30km/h variable speed limit. Rural roads that are outside schools will be required to have variable speed limits of 60km/h or less," Bishop said.
"National campaigned on reversing the blanket speed limit reductions at the last election, and over 65 percent of submitters during consultation on the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024, agreed."
"Today provides a classic example of our Government's determination to stop letting government agencies put things in the too-hard basket, and instead to push forward for actual results," Bishop said.
