After months of anticipation, the Government has officially confirmed $187 million in funding to advance the design, consenting, and route protection of the Northland Corridor — including the long-awaited alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills.

The announcement, made late yesterday by Transport Minister Chris Bishop, follows the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board’s endorsement of the investment case for the Northland Expressway between Te Hana and Whangārei.

The decision marks the next stage in the Government’s Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme and confirms the preferred route — one that has sparked frustration among many residents, particularly in Mangawhai, where the new alignment cuts through several homes and properties.

The public has been waiting for months for clarity, after NZTA formally changed the proposed route earlier this year, shifting the alignment further inland and away from the previously identified path. While the agency says the revised route offers the best long-term resilience and safety benefits, locals say the lack of consultation and property impacts have been deeply disappointing.

Minister Bishop said the Northland Expressway represents a “transformational opportunity” to boost jobs, safety, and growth in a region long hampered by unreliable transport connections.

“The investment case shows strong benefits — travel times reduced by up to 38 minutes between Te Hana and Whangārei, deaths and serious injuries down by 66 per cent, and resilience risks cut by 82 per cent,” he said.

$187 million has been approved to progress the project, with priority given to the alternative Brynderwyn Hills route (Section 2b). This section is considered critical for ensuring a reliable transport link after repeated closures due to slips and weather damage.

NZTA confirmed it will now begin individual conversations with affected landowners along the 75-kilometre corridor, starting with those impacted by the Brynderwyn Hills section. Consents and designations for this area are expected to be lodged by March 2026 under the Fast-track Approvals Act, with the rest of the corridor to follow later that year.

For many in Kaipara and Northland, the news is bittersweet — a long-awaited sign of movement on long-term infrastructure, but one that comes with personal cost for those in the new route’s path.

Matakana Coast App will continue to update our community as more information comes to hand.