The Authorities’s highway cone hotline is formally certainly one of its most absurd wastes of public cash, Labour Celebration transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere says.
“Not solely was it just about unused, however the Authorities additionally couldn’t say what number of cones it resulted eradicating.
“One goal the Authorities had was the removing of non-compliant cones, however 93 per cent of name outs had cones used completely. Who would have thought.
“By November, 2025, there have been on common fewer than 20 legitimate complaints per week nationwide.
“As of September 30, 2025, the Authorities had spent $148,545 on the hotline, or $136.15 for each one of many 1,091 complaints logged to that time.
“Now that Chris Bishop and Brooke van Velden have accomplished their performative battle with the cones, it’s my hope not a single highway cone is on high of a tree, on the pinnacle of a statue, or a single centimetre misplaced over summer time.
“Relaxation in peace highway cone hotline, you’ll not be missed.”
On December 17, Office Relations and Security Minister Brooke van Velden introduced the highway cone hotline would shut because the pilot hit its targets.
The highway cone digital hotline pilot is wrapping up forward of schedule, after six months of priceless information assortment and relationship constructing with highway controlling authorities, she says.
The hotline closed on December 19 to coincide with the requirement of NZTA for councils to have a plan in place to use the brand new risk-based short-term visitors administration tips to their native roadworks contracts earlier than approving Authorities funding for these tasks.
“This pilot has completed precisely what we would have liked it to do,” van Velden says.
“We now perceive what’s actually inflicting the extreme use of highway cones and altering to a risk-based method is vital to resolving these points.
“When the general public see extreme highway cones, chances are high it’s as a result of the native council signed it off.
“Website visits revealed 86 per cent of websites have been compliant with the variety of cones and different short-term visitors administration gadgets specified by the council-approved visitors administration plans.
“The issue appears to be councils throughout the nation weren’t required to use NZTA’s most up-to-date steering to short-term visitors administration, so whereas the usage of highway cones could also be in step with council-approved plans, they could nonetheless be extreme.
“Transferring ahead, NZTA has mentioned all councils have to be totally compliant with the brand new steering by July 1, 2027.”
