Speed limits on the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway will be upped to 110kmh.

New Zealand is set to get its first 110kmh roads with speed limits going up on two North Island highways from mid-December.

NZ Transport Agency confirmed on Friday that speed limits on the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road (SH2) and the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway (SH1) would be 110kmh.

The changes followed an extensive consultation process in which the NZTA received almost 11,500 submissions from the public and stakeholders.

The formal process to change the speed limit was now underway, and the new limits would be in place by Monday, December 11.

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On the Tauranga Eastern Link the 110kmh speed limit will run between the Paengaroa roundabout and the Domain Road interchange.

On the Waikato Expressway it will be between the Cambridge Southern and Tamahere interchanges.

"Both roads were selected for the new limit because they are two of the safest roads in New Zealand, with safety features such as median-barriers, no crossing roads, no tight curves and two lanes in each direction, which significantly reduces the risk of serious collisions occurring," Director of Safety and Environment Harry Wilson said.

"Both the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road and the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway have been designed and will be maintained and operated to the necessary standards to safely support 110kmh travel speeds," he said.

"The Transport Agency, on behalf of the Government, is committed to making New Zealand roads safer and reducing the number of people seriously injured and killed in crashes.

"The increasing number of deaths on our roads is unacceptable, and the speed limit will only be increased on our very safest and most well-designed roads which can support higher travel speeds without compromising safety.

"We are working to create a safe transport system which is more forgiving of human error, and for some roads this will likely result in current speed limits being reduced to improve safety.

"Any additional roads being considered for the 110kmh speed limit will require full technical reviews of the safety aspects of the road and public consultation. This enables communities and stakeholders to contribute to decisions that will help make travelling by road safer, more predictable and therefore more efficient. Speed limits can also be lowered on roads using the same process."

Large signs will be erected to ensure drivers know to slow down when the speed limit returned to 100kmh.

"It's important that people remember that all speed limits are the maximum speed for safe travel in ideal conditions – they are not the minimum, and they are not a target. It's important that drivers adjust their travelling speeds depending on the weather conditions, traffic volumes and other factors. At many times on many roads the safe speed for travel will be lower than the posted limit."