九一星空无限

ZB ZB
Opinion
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Up next
ZB

NZ records lowest Labour weekend road toll in over 10 years

Author
Benjamin Plummer,
Publish Date
Tue, 29 Oct 2024, 7:54am
New Zealand has recorded its lowest Labour weekend road toll in over 10 years, with no deaths over the holiday period. Photo / Alex Burton
New Zealand has recorded its lowest Labour weekend road toll in over 10 years, with no deaths over the holiday period. Photo / Alex Burton

NZ records lowest Labour weekend road toll in over 10 years

Author
Benjamin Plummer,
Publish Date
Tue, 29 Oct 2024, 7:54am

New Zealand has recorded its lowest Labour weekend road toll in over 10 years, with no deaths over the holiday period. 

It is the lowest death toll for the public holiday since 2013, when one person died and 109 were injured. 

The worst road toll for Labour weekend was in 1983, where 13 people died and 248 were injured, RNZ reported. 

The official holiday road toll period began at 4pm on Friday and ended at 6am this morning. 

The Herald reported at least three crashes from throughout the long weekend: One in Transmission Gully just out of Wellington on Monday; a serious two-car crash in Helensville on Monday morning; and a bus with 26 passengers sliding off the road near Mt Cook on Saturday. 

Six people died on the roads during the holiday last year. 

The director of road policing, Superintendent Steve Greally, earlier reiterated there was 鈥渘o room for complacency鈥 and said police were 鈥渄etermined not to see a repeat鈥 of last Labour weekend鈥檚 road toll. 

Greally said staff would be working 鈥渢irelessly throughout the country鈥 to make sure everyone stays safe. 

鈥淭hose who blatantly choose to drive dangerously, whether it鈥檚 driving without a seatbelt or impaired by drugs and alcohol, using a mobile phone or speeding, they can expect to be ticketed.鈥 

Much of the country experienced its share of 鈥渄ramatic weather鈥 at the weekend, with the West Coast being worst hit region. 

Residents made self-evacuations amid weather warnings as drivers encountered flooded roads. 

West Coast Emergency Management group manager Claire Brown said there was a lot of surface flooding in and around the communities, with a small number of local and state highway road closures. 

鈥淭here have been a couple of precautionary self-evacuations, but hopefully by this evening they will all be able to return home if it is safe to do so.鈥 

MetService forecaster Luis Fernandes said another low system would move in from the Tasman Sea which would mean wetter weather spreading across the country from today. 

鈥淭he day might start relatively dry, but especially for the western parts of the country, things get wetter as the day progresses.鈥 

Thursday is the only day for which MetService has forecast fine conditions in Auckland. 

Fernandes said that while wet weather was likely to plague much of New Zealand for the rest of the week, temperatures would begin to slowly warm. 

鈥淭he South Island will see temperatures bouncing back into the mid to high teens as the week goes on. 

鈥淭he North Island would see temperatures climbing but remaining more or less static for a couple of days. 

鈥淢id to high teens for most areas through to Wednesday, and for Thursday we see temperatures for most of the North Island improving to high teens and low 20s for most places.鈥 

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022. 

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you