Upper North Island

Overview

Four regions make up the upper North Island area: Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. The area is vital to New Zealand’s social and economic success, home to over half of New Zealand’s population, and generating more than 50% of the national GDP. The main urban centres in the upper North Island are all experiencing strong population growth.

In their regional land transport plans, the upper North Island regions recognise that they need to work together to fully achieve their objectives, because transport issues and challenges do not stop at regional boundaries as freight and people are continuously moving between the regions. The 2015–18 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) supports the collaborative efforts of these regions to develop an integrated approach to transport and recognises their importance to New Zealand’s social and economic wellbeing. The ambitious programme of investment will strengthen and improve inter-regional transport connections in the upper North Island.

On this page:

• Key journeys and investments
• Regional numbers
• Key facts
• 2015–18 NLTP investment
• Pressures on the transport system
• Investing in customer journeys across the upper North Island

Key journeys and investments

Regional numbers

Key facts

• More than half of New Zealand’s freight moves through the upper North Island.
• Road freight volumes in the area are forecast to increase by 59% by 2042, which will increase pressure on the key transport journeys between the main population centres of Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, and in particular the ports of Tauranga and Auckland.
• Over 50% of national goods originate or end up in the upper North Island.
• 64% of goods by value within New Zealand move through the upper North Island ports of Auckland, Tauranga, Northport and Auckland Airport.
• 43% of visitors to New Zealand stay overnight in the area.

2015–18 NLTP investment

Key upper North Island transport projects that will receive investment from the 2015–18 NLTP include completing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS).

Of the seven RoNS identified by the government, four are in the upper North Island.

1. Puhoi to Wellsford ($60 million planned for investment from the National Land Transport Fund).
2. The Western Ring Route, which will contribute to better links for businesses and freight between key industrial and transport hubs in Manukau, central Auckland, Waitakere and the North Shore in Auckland ($642m being invested in the 2015–18 NLTP).
3. The 102km Waikato Expressway, which is the key link across the upper North Island south of Auckland. The route is key to freight movements and is expected to see continued population and economic growth ($1bn being invested in the 2015–18 NLTP).
4. Tauranga Eastern Link, which is crucial to supporting growth in the Bay of Plenty, one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions and providing freight access from across the region to the Port of Tauranga ($50m being invested and completed in the 2015–18 NLTP).

Additional investments on local road networks such as completion of the Hamilton Ring Road, ($10.6m being invested through the 2015–18 NLTP) will complement the investment in the RoNS by ensuring they are well integrated with local road networks and land uses.

Pressures on the transport system

• The transport network is under particular pressure in parts of Auckland, where sections of the existing road network experience severe congestion. This congestion significantly impacts on the cost and efficiency of doing business in the upper North Island.
• Forecast population growth, business growth and land use changes across the upper North Island will impact the transport network. In the next 15 years 400,000 new homes will be needed to house the projected population growth in Auckland alone. The population of Hamilton is projected to double over the next 30 years. The scale of this growth will impact the transport network in neighbouring areas, particularly routes from Auckland to north Waikato, and Warkworth to Wellsford. This creates significant demand for investment in transport infrastructure in the area.
• Transport investment in the short to medium term is focused on increasing the capacity of the road network, providing key transport links and managing the network to ensure the efficient and safe movement of people and freight.
• As Auckland and other urban areas in the upper North Island continue to grow, investment in public transport, cycling and walking becomes increasingly important in providing people with travel choices and freeing up the road network for increasing freight movement.

Investing in customer journeys across the upper North Island

The Transport Agency and the regional transport committees of the four regions are focused on New Zealand’s key transport journeys and the important role they play in the overall transport system. These include road, rail, public transport, cycling and walking journeys.

Between Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, there are four key inter-regional journeys that are the focus of this investment programme:

1. Whangarei to North Auckland (Silverdale) via Wellsford.
2. Metro Auckland.
3. South Auckland (Drury) to the Port of Tauranga via the Waikato.
4. Pokeno to Tauranga (Paengaroa) via Waihi.

Investments in improvement projects on both the state highway network and the supporting local road networks aim to deliver specific benefits to road users. To support the investment decision-making process, the Transport Agency uses evidence to forecast the benefits from potential road improvements, including the number of deaths and serious injuries that could be prevented, and potential travel time savings. The data here is based on forecast benefits as at June 2015.

We also expect to see further efficiency and safety benefits from our investments in road safety promotion, road policing and road maintenance along these journeys.