Road cone hotline to end early

The government is ending its road cone hotline six months early.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says the pilot did exactly what it needed to do.

“We now understand what’s really causing the excessive use of road cones, and changing to a risk-based approach is key to resolving these issues.”

She says the hotline met its three goals: giving the public a voice, identifying the root causes of concern, and clarifying WorkSafe’s role in relation to temporary traffic management.

Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere says the hotline is “one of the Government’s most absurd wastes of public money”.

“Not only was it virtually unused, but the Government also couldn’t say how many cones it resulted in removing,” he says.

“Rest in peace, road cone hotline, you will not be missed.”

Valid complaints?

“By November 2025, there were, on average, fewer than 20 valid complaints per week nationwide.

“As of 30 September 2025, the Government had spent $148,545 on the hotline, or $136.15 for every one of the 1,091 complaints logged to that point.”

Data released by WorkSafe suggests the hotline achieved more than the Government’s critics acknowledge.

According to WorkSafe, the digital hotline received over 1,300 notifications during its six‑month run and provided a foundation for understanding how temporary traffic management (TTM) operates in practice.

Site visits conducted in response to complaints found that 86% of locations were using cones and other TTM devices in compliance with council‑approved traffic management plans.

This suggests that, in most cases, the deployment of cones met existing standards even where members of the public perceived them as excessive.

Still, if the road cone hotline’s goal was problematic cone use, then only so many instances were identified.

How many cones are too many?

WorkSafe’s analysis concluded that the principal issue was not widespread unlawful deployment of cones but inconsistent application of risk‑based guidance across road controlling authorities.

Councils and other authorities are expected to tailor their traffic management to the specific hazards of a worksite rather than applying one-size-fits-all measures. Yet this hotline raises questions about whether the industry and the general public widely understand the standard.

“The solution is ensuring consistent uptake of NZTA’s risk-based guidance by everyone involved in temporary traffic management,” says WorkSafe’s chief executive, Sharon Thompson.

“This approach supports RCAs and TTM contractors to make decisions based on what’s best for the workers and work sites.”

NZTA now requires all councils to have plans in place for applying the updated guidance before approving government funding for local roadworks, with full compliance expected by 1 July 2027.

After the hotline closes at midday on 19 December 2025, members of the public with concerns about temporary traffic management will be directed to raise them with the relevant road controlling authority — NZTA for state highways and local councils for regional and urban roads.

While the hotline’s premature end highlights its limited public traction, the Government and WorkSafe frame the closure as a transition from a dedicated reporting channel to a broader regulatory and educational focus around traffic management practices.