State Highway 1

But yeah, regional connectivity is a big issue when you're driving from Timaru to Ashburton and north to Rakaia.

Your phone does drop out several parts along the journey, and that's State Highway 1.

And so we need to continue to look at how we're investing in the mobile towers, but also what we're doing to encourage the satellite connectivity as well.

Starlink, I think, has been a game changer for a lot of...

being

driven on State Highway 1.

Yeah, I mean, odd timings kind of all around.

So get on board for the semifinals.

The first one was deployed on Matakana Road in December.

A reading here, another set is to be installed on State Highway 1 between Bulls and Hunterville next month.

So simple question for you on this one.

Do you support fantastic average speed cameras? And I think as the editorial says, it forces speedy drivers to moderate their behavior over long stretches of road rather than look to avoid being caught speeding at a moment in time.

So the first one was trialed in Matakana or Matakana Road, which I assume is in Matakana.

But I could be wrong, so why should I assume that? Anyway, it was trialled Matakana Road in Auckland in December.

The next one being installed, State Highway 1 between Bulls and Hunterville, so that's going to be installed next month.

And all told, NZTA are looking at 17 average speed cameras that they're going to roll out in the next year.

Yeah.

What's the detour? You're looking at up through State Highway 4 around from Wanganui or you're actually going to have to hook right around under Mount Ruapehu to get all the way around State Highway 1 and Waiouru.

So she's pretty chunky.

Yeah.

NZTA says the $50 million earmark for Awakino in the budget cannot be put towards an alternative route.

In the meantime, the official detour is via State Highway 1 and State Highway 4.

What is actually a side journey and what does official status actually afford you?

Well, it means that that traffic will turn off State Highway 1 just south of Milton and come via Kaitangata before they head back into Balclutha.

So it's a wee loop that will take in our town rather than going straight from Milton to Balclutha that's just got no... things on the road to visit.

So you think you're a better option?

And the other thing too is, if you want to explain the Northland attitude to the world, when...

People talk about the road north, State Highway 1 north.

They called it the holiday highway.

As if the only reason anyone needed it was when they were going from Auckland to the north.