Hon Simon Bridges
Minister of Transport
2 August 2016
Another step forward for Puhoi to Warkworth
Transport Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed today’s announcement that the NZ Transport Agency will enter into
preferred bidder negotiations with the Northern Express Group for the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway project north of
Auckland.
The 18.5km Puhoi to Warkworth motorway will form the first section of the Puhoi to Wellsford motorway project, one of
the Government’s Roads of National Significance identified as being as key to economic growth.
“Today’s news marks another step forward in the Government’s strategy of enabling economic growth in Northland and
providing a safer, more reliable transport link between between Northland and the upper North Island freight triangle of
Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga,” Mr Bridges says.
Mr Bridges says delivering the project using a public private partnership (PPP) model will allow the project to benefit
from private sector innovation and funding sources, increasing certainty of delivery and driving better value for money.
“A PPP opens the door for private sector innovations that are not always achievable under traditional public sector
procurement methods. The size and complexity of the project means it will benefit from innovative outcomes in design and
construction that the private sector will bring.
“The Government will continue to consider PPPs for other large-scale and complex transport infrastructure projects which
could potentially benefit from the innovation and value-for-money that can be achieved through a PPP approach.”
The first state highway in New Zealand being delivered through a PPP is the Transmission Gully motorway project in
Wellington which is expected to open in 2020.
The PPP contract for the Puhoi to Warkworth project is expected to be awarded by late 2016.
ends