It was Road Safety Week last week and students learnt about the important work that local roadworkers, engineers, and traffic management personnel do to help make our roads safer, and how students themselves can be Road Safety Heroes by staying safe around roadworks. 

Road Safety Week sponsors Beca and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) coordinated visits to a number of schools across the country, alongside roading contractors, Road Safety Week organisers Brake, and local councils. 

At Selwyn Ridge School in the Bay of Plenty, representatives from Beca, NZTA and HEB held an interactive road safety session with students. This included a story time session where they read My Mum is Queen of the Road, written by Jennifer Beck, a heartwarming story about a child whose mum is a traffic management worker, followed by a lesson about safety around roadworks using some of the contractors’ equipment.

HEB team member striking the Road Safety Hero pose.

Welcome to ‘Simon Says’, a segment where NZTA’s Bay of Plenty Journey Manager, Simon, shares helpful tips and suggestions for commuters.

This week's tip is for those travelling on SH2 from the east toward Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. When approaching the Te Maunga Interchange, make use of both lanes all the way until the road narrows from 2 lanes to 1, and merge like a zip. This approach keeps traffic moving efficiently and can help reduce delays on your commute. 

Waikato & Bay of Plenty state highway works as at 23 May 2025 [PDF, 593 KB]