50 Victoria Street 
Private Bag 6995 
 
Wellington 6141 
 
New Zealand 
 
T 64 4 894 5400 
F 64 4 894 6100 
20 April 2022 
www.nzta.govt.nz 
 
 
Sam Jenkins 
 
[FYI request #18939 email] 
 
REF: OIA-9753  
 
 
Dear Sam  
  
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982 
 
Thank you for your email of 21 March 2022 requesting the following information under the Official 
Information Act 1982 (the Act): 
 
…With New Zealand setting a target 0 road deaths, with a 'road to zero' strategy over the 
next 10 years to December 2029 (https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/safety/road-
to-zero/) - has there been any comparisons or analysis of the Dutch 'sustainable road safety' 
approach (https://sustainablesafety.nl/) 
 
If there has been a comparison, has any advice been sought on whether this approach to 
design would achieve New Zealand's aim?... 
 
I appreciate your interest in New Zealand’s road safety strategy, Road to Zero. Our vision is a New 
Zealand where no one is kil ed or seriously injured on our roads with an interim target to reduce deaths 
and serious injuries by 40% by 2030 (compared to 2018). Al  New Zealanders should get where 
they’re going safely whether they’re walking, cycling, driving, motorcycling or using public transport.  
 
Whilst there was no formal comparison undertaken, the Dutch Sustainable Road Safety strategy was 
one of the international best practice strategies that fed into the development of the Road to Zero 
strategy. Both strategies therefore have significant areas of alignment, such as:  
 
•  Both are underpinned by a Safe System approach to road safety – which requires a mix of 
solutions that all combine to keep people safe.  
 
•  Both recognise the functionality of roads as a key design consideration. This is recognised as a 
key part of Road to Zero through adoption of Movement and Place principles as part of the One 
Network Framework and developments associated with the new Speed Management Guide 
(under Tackling Unsafe Speeds). More information on this can be found here: 
o  https://www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/planning/one-network-framework/ 
o  https://www.nzta.govt.nz/safety/partners/speed-and-infrastructure/speed-management/ 
o  https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/safety/tackling-unsafe-speeds/  
 
•  Both recognise the critical importance of injury biomechanics and the need to protect people 
from harmful forces. This is achieved by limiting differences in speed, direction, mass and size, 
and giving road users appropriate protection either through physical separation or speed 
management.  
 
 
  

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•  Both require greater responsibility from system designers, effectively allocating responsibility to 
all parties (across all industry, public and private), patricianly those responsible to designing the 
road transport system, rather than just focussing on the behaviour of road users. 
 
•  Both also recognise learning, innovating and building capability as key to improving road safety 
performance.  This is recognised under Road to Zero as a key principle as wel  as being a focus 
under System Management. 
 
The adoption of Safe System principles and the steps taken by the best performing countries are well 
reflected in Road to Zero. The chal enge is to catch up to countries like Sweden, Norway and the 
Netherlands which are around 20 years ahead in terms of Safe System implementation.  
 
If you would like to discuss this reply with Waka Kotahi, please contact Ministerial Services, by email 
to [NZTA request email]. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
 
Fabian Marsh  
Senior Manager Road Safety  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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