On Monday 9 November 2026, TMNZ crews across our national branch network will pause for Road Worker Day of Remembrance (RWDOR). It is a day to honour road workers who have been killed or seriously injured on the job, and a reminder to every driver that the person holding the Stop/Go paddle and working on our roads is someone’s whole world.
Most people only see our crews for a few seconds as they drive past. A set of cones, a sign, a figure in hi-vis. What you don’t see is the early start, the shift on a state highway in the rain, or the family at home waiting for a text that says they’re on their way back home safely.
What Is Road Worker Day of Remembrance?
Road Worker Day of Remembrance is held on 9 November each year to remember road workers lost or injured at work, and the families and crews left carrying that loss. It is championed by Peter Frazer OAM and the Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group, who also run National Road Safety Week.
Why Does 9 November Matter So Much to TMNZ?
The date belongs to Timmy Rakei. Timmy was a Traffic Controller with Altus Traffic, our sister business in Altus Group, and a 44-year-old father of four. On 9 November 2021 he was killed by a speeding, disqualified driver while working at a roadworks site in Melbourne. Altus Traffic established the day in his honour, and it has since grown across the industry.
The Tasman doesn’t make that loss feel any further away. Timmy did the same job our people do every day as New Zealand’s largest temporary traffic management (TTM) provider. We also remember Suzanne Caudell, killed while working as a Traffic Controller on Queensland’s Bruce Highway in 2013, and Sarah Frazer, whose death in 2012 led her father Peter to dedicate his life to safer roads.
What Can New Zealand Drivers Do to Protect Road Workers?
The simplest thing you can do is slow down and stick to the temporary speed limit all the way through a worksite. Those limits are set because people are working right there, often only a metre or two from your car.
• Slow down early. Ease off at the first sign, not the last cone.
• Follow the paddle. If the Stop/Go operator says stop, stop. They can see what you can’t.
• Phone down. Lanes shift and crews move. Give it your full attention.
• Be patient. A couple of minutes on your trip is nothing next to someone getting home.
How Can You Support #RWDOR 2026?
Share the free Road Worker Day of Remembrance videos, tiles and banners found here or from roadsafetyweek.com.au/rwdor in the week leading up to 9 November and on the day itself, using #RWDOR. Businesses and individuals are welcome to use them on their own channels.
For Timmy, for Suzanne, for Sarah
And for every TMNZ crew member heading out on Monday morning. We can’t change what happened yesterday, but every driver who slows down changes what happens tomorrow. Thank you to Peter Frazer OAM and the SARAH Group for keeping these names alive, and to everyone who shares this message.
Slow down. Take care. Protect the protectors.