Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei is one of the 3 Roads of National Significance (RoNS) that make up the Northland Corridor, a 100-kilometre strategic route connecting Auckland to Whangārei.
Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei is one of the 3 Roads of National Significance (RoNS) that make up the Northland Corridor. These RoNS will support economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, improve safety, support housing development, and provide a more resilient roading network.
The preferred route for Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei is part of the Investment Case that has been endorsed by the NZTA Board which covers the Northland Corridor between Te Hana and Whangārei.
The full corridor between Te Hana to Whangārei is moving to the route protection stage.
The preferred route is a refinement of the emerging preferred corridor. We will use this route to apply for consents and designation. There are still several places the final road may go within the preferred route.
The preferred route for Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei proposes:
We have used previous work done in the corridor and refined the emerging preferred corridor further to select the preferred route. This has included considering how we deliver to a RoNS standard and accounts for aspects such as:
The next steps are for the project team to work at pace to refine the preferred route further, by beginning geotechnical and environmental investigations.
We will now start to contact impacted landowners. Due to the 75 km length of the corridor between Te Hana to Whangārei, we will be engaging in individual meetings with landowners in stages. Further details will be provided in the individual letters sent to landowners.
The project expects to make use of the Fast-track Approvals Act as well as Public Works Act changes for critical infrastructure.
Now the preferred route has been endorsed by the NZTA Board we will begin to contact affected landowners to let them know the next steps and share an indicative land impact plan. This plan will show whether their property is expected to be fully or partially affected at this stage of the project. We will also start to meet with individually affected landowners.
Due to the 75 km length of this section of the corridor from Te Hana to Whangārei, we will be meeting with landowners in stages. Further details will be provided in the individual letters sent to landowners.
SH1 Northland Corridor information sheet for landowners – October 2025 [PDF, 403 KB]
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We will continue to work closely with our iwi and hapū partners and key stakeholders, and to share our progress with landowners and the community as we work at pace on the Northland Corridor project.
View larger timeline [PDF, 90 KB]
CloseAn emerging preferred corridor has been announced for Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei.
To select the emerging preferred corridor we have taken all previous work done in the corridor into account, and looked at factors such as recent weather events, how the corridor performs as a whole, ground and soil conditions, and environmental and cultural impacts. These factors all feed into how much the road will cost and how it will be built.
The emerging preferred corridor proposes:
