North West Auckland

(external link)The North West is growing – over the next 30 years an extra 100,000 people are expected to live in the area, along with 40,000 new house and 20,000 new jobs. As Kumeū-Huapai, Riverhead, Redhills and Whenuapai continue to develop and grow, they will need a well-designed, sustainable transport network.

Well-connected communities enjoy lots of transport options. We’re planning essential transport infrastructure for these growth areas now - public transport, walking and cycling networks and new and improved roads will give people lots of options to move around safely and easily via a sustainable transport network. The map to the right shows our Strategic Plan for the North West.

Extending public transport connections and offering safe, accessible and sustainable travel choices, to serve future communities and to take action on climate change, is at the heart of the North West’s long-term transport network.

The majority of the proposed projects are yet to be funded for delivery. It is anticipated they will be considered for funding in line with the long-term timeframes for the rezoning and release of land by Auckland Council over the next 10-30 years.

Planning for Growth

Areas of the North West, including Kumeū-Huapai, Riverhead, and Redhills North future urban zoned areas will not commence structure planning until later in the decade, and are not expected to be development ready for a further 8-12 years as a minimum. Therefore, to inform the future transport network being planned by the Te Tupu Ngātahi Supporting Growth, Auckland Council has prepared a high level Spatial Land Use Strategy – North West.

The Strategy identifies locations for future centres and business land that the transport network will support and impact upon, however it is not a structure plan and is only intended as a high-level guide. Exact future land use and zoning will be confirmed through future structure planning and associated plan changes.

Te Tupu Ngātahi Supporting Growth has considered the Strategy and associated potential for land use change in its proposed network. View more information on the Spatial Land Use Strategy – North West. [PDF, 18 MB]

A well-designed transport network for North West Auckland

A well-designed, integrated transport network is being planned now to transform how people move around the North West in the future. It includes these strategic projects which are anticipated to be delivered in the next 10 to 30 years to support growth:

• A future rapid transit corridor between Redhills North and Kumeū-Huapai to enable development of fast, frequent and high-capacity public transport.
• A station located at Huapai will enable residents from the surrounding area to access a park and ride adjacent to the station.
• A station located near the Kumeū town centre will provide access to the station by all types of transport – public transport, walk, bike, scoot, or drive
• Provision for a cycling and walking corridor alongside the rapid transit corridor connecting Whenuapai and the northern part of Redhills to Kumeū-Huapai.
• A future Alternative State Highway which will be a new route extending the existing North Western Motorway from Brigham Creek Road to State Highway 16 east of Waimauku, supporting the upgrade of the current state highway in Kumeū-Huapai town centre.
• A future new interchange at SH16 Brigham Creek Road to improve access for all areas across the North West. It will create a central connection point for a wide range of transport options, including the Alternative State Highway, new public transport routes via the rapid transit corridor, and new walking and cycling networks, to flow through.
• Future upgrades to local transport connections in Whenuapai, Redhills, Kumeū-Huapai and Riverhead.

A Detailed Business Case was approved by Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency in December 2021 that endorsed the preferred North West network.

What's happening now?

We’re currently preparing the technical assessments for the proposed routes to enable us to protect the routes as shown on this map [PDF, 800 KB].

Some projects are further advanced and have been developed with input from previous community consultation – these include proposals to upgrade local roads to accommodate new walking and cycling networks and improve safety and connections in Whenuapai, Redhills, Kumeū-Huapai and Riverhead.

The DBC recommended some of these local roads to be progressed by Auckland Transport at a later stage, rather than through the Notice of Requirement (designation) process. This means upgrades to Nixon Road, Riverhead Road, Station Road and Northside Drive will be considered as part of Auckland Transports regular Regional Land Transport Plan(external link) process.

The DBC also endorsed the Alternative State Highway route, including new interchanges at Brigham Creek Road and Tawa Road which will create important strategic connections for the North West.

We are seeking specific feedback on our preferred route for the future Rapid Transit Corridor and associated station locations to finalise the preferred route and the locations for its station locations, the supporting facilities at each station and the types of connections needed to allow people to access it easily.

Where are we heading?

We are working towards lodging our Notice of Requirement (NoR) documentation to protect the land we need. Once this is finalised it will be lodged with either Waka Kotahi or Auckland Transport as the requiring authorities. An important part of developing a NoR is consulting with those potentially affected – the community, Manawhenua, businesses, government and community organisations. Find out more information on these processes(external link).

Publications 

View all publications relating to North West Auckland(external link)