Northland Corridor newsletter

21 October 2024

Project update

Tena koe and welcome to the second edition of the Northland Corridor newsletter.

Thanks to the individuals and groups who reached out after our inaugural newsletter earlier in the month. We hear that you are very interested in the project and want more information.

Members of the community continue to tell us to move quickly and make sure that we are looking at the feedback we have had on parts of the corridor in previous years as we now make decisions about the route north of Te Hana.  We are looking at all the information and feedback gathered to date including to see what might have changed. As we are delivering 3 Roads of National Significance (RoNS) we are working to a different scope to other previous projects – building a road that is 4 lanes and mainly grade separated.

In this issue of the newsletter, we are sharing a map which shows how we are breaking the corridor down for design and delivery and giving you more information about our timelines moving forward. We’ve got more pictures to share of ground investigations between Warkworth and Te Hana and of a walk over we have done on land in the Brynderwyn section of the corridor.

We’re moving quickly, so we’ll continue to provide updates as they come to hand. The team will also be out and about attending community events over the summer in Northland to share more information on the project. We're just confirming where and when we’ll be now, so keep an eye out for our next newsletter update, where we’ll share details on where you can find us this summer.

Fast Track Approvals Bill

Last week the Government announced that 2 of the projects that make up the Northland Corridor have been identified in the group of 149 projects in Fast Track Approval Bill. Te Hana to Port Marsden Highway (alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills) and Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei are named in the Bill which is expected to go before Parliament for its second reading in November and be passed into law before the end of the year. Warkworth to Te Hana is already designated and consented and property purchase is underway, so it is not included in the Bill.

“The 149 projects selected by the Government have significant regional or national benefits. They will make a big difference in the regions by delivering jobs and growth and develop a pipeline of major projects to help boost the economy,” Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Read the press release here.

The Northland Corridor

Because this is such a long corridor – over 100k – we're breaking it down into bite size chunks and phases, which are all at different stages of development.

Section 1: Ara Tūhono - Warkworth to Te Hana – Phase 1 update

With over 100 boreholes to drill it’s a hive of activity onsite between Warkworth and Te Hana. More rigs and people are arriving over the next few weeks as we ramp up our investigations.  

Understanding the ground conditions is a critical part of making sure the project goes smoothy. The work is spread over 26 km and by next week we’ll have 3 teams operating drilling sites. Since works kicked off in September, we’ve drilled 6 boreholes.  Digging the below 35m deep borehole will take about 3 days. 

Next month we’re starting our ecological site visits which will help us get a better understanding of wildlife and their habitat within the project area so we can take care of the environment as we plan and build the road. Short term monitoring will support our investigations, while long term monitoring is required by our resource consent conditions ahead of final design and construction.

We’re continuing to talk to landowners along the corridor and working to purchase all the land we need to build the road.   

Sections 2 and 3: Te Hana to Whangārei

Over the coming months, we’ll progress all sections from Te Hana to Whangārei, with a focus on the Brynderwyn Hills alternative (section 2B).

To work quickly, we’re using all the great feedback and information we already have, and we are talking with key stakeholders and iwi and hapu in the corridor. We’re looking to make decisions about the route in the first quarter of 2025.

As we don’t yet have a route for this part of the corridor, we haven’t started discussions with landowners. We will be in touch as soon as we have more information to share.

You can find more information about the history of work on these sections of the corridor on our website:

Section 2: Te Hana to Port Marsden Highway (including an alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills)

Section 3: Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei

Our team on a site walk in the Brynderwyn Hills area

Meet the team

Sam MacKay - Site Investigations Lead

What is your role on the project and what are you up to at the moment?

I’m leading the site investigations team for the Northland Corridor and we are busily undertaking ground investigations between Warkworth and Te Hana. We’re building our understanding of the ground conditions along the project route to inform and develop a resilient design and provide greater certainty on project costs.

We’ve got 3 people out on site with 4 drillers right now and over the next month our team will grow rapidly as we add more drilling rigs along the length of the corridor. I’m looking forward to developing a ground model to inform our designers and future tenderers about the project’s key ground risks. Our site investigations will be delivering a large scope of work across difficult terrain that will challenge how we manage our health, safety and environment risk.  Our top priority is ensuring we have the right controls in place, so our operations, but most importantly our teams remain safe. 

What do you love about the project? 

The Northland Corridor traverses a dynamic landscape with complex geology which makes it an exciting project to work on. The project is of real importance to Northlanders who need a safe way to stay connected to the rest of the country. Seeing how successful Puhoi to Warkworth is provides inspiration to the team. We have a fun bunch of people working on the project, so it doesn’t feel like work!

More information

For more information on the Northland Corridor, please visit nzta.govt.nz/projects/connecting-northland or contact us at NorthlandProject@nzta.govt.nz