17 April 2024

The Northland Corporate Group: Northland Expressway Business Case

Infrastructure • Northland

Decades of underinvestment along SH1 – the central artery connecting Te Tai Tokerau Northland to Auckland and beyond – has seen our road infrastructure languish, isolating our region from the rest of the country, choking regional economic growth, and squandering the potential to support Auckland’s strong growth path from the North.

Investing in a high-quality, four-lane expressway along the entirety of SH1 between Auckland and Northland now could boost national GDP by $1.2 billion per year by 2050. Representative of $23.8 billion over a twenty-year period.

McKay, alongside a consortium of local businesses, presented its business case during an event held yesterday evening in Whangārei.

After the launch, Lindsay Faithfull, the Managing Director of McKay and a member of the Northland Corporate Group, brings attention to the distinctive qualities of the Northland business community, stating: “The business community of Northland is distinguished by its spirit of entrepreneurship, cultural richness, and the presence of numerous hidden or semi-hidden gems, reflecting a remarkable diversity in both scope and scale. Noteworthy are the emerging Maori-owned businesses exhibiting promising growth potential alongside those that have already established a strong foothold in the market. However, a recurring theme is the untapped potential within these businesses, with the improvement of transport connectivity being a crucial factor in unlocking their latent value”.

Now, with the data to reinforce what many Northlanders already know, the Northland Corporate group is calling for the Government to fast-track its commitments and extend their scope to include a wholesale upgrade of SH1. This means extending the expressway from Warkworth through the Brynderwyns to Whangārei. It’s the only solution that will truly connect our region, and fully unlock our economic contribution.

Download the report here.

The Northland Corporate Group (NCG) comprises Northland business heavyweights Channel Infrastructure NZ, Culham Engineering, Marsden Maritime Holdings Limited, McKay Limited and Northpower. Together, they have a combined annual turnover exceeding $1 billion, employ more than 3,500 people and deliver essential services to 65% of the region’s population.