NZ InfraWatch
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Northwest Busway (Te Ara Hauāuru) — Auckland
Waka Kotahi / Auckland Transport · Auckland
Rapid-transit busway for fast-growing northwest Auckland — Brigham Creek to the city centre (Newton) via Te Atatū, with a station at Westgate. Originally a Labour light-rail/rapid-transit corridor removed from the 2024–27 NLTP, then reinstated by National as a busway. NZTA board endorsed the investment case and lodged fast-track approvals (Dec 2025). Stage 1 Westgate bus station opens mid-2026; busway construction to start by 2027. Estimated NZ$4.1–4.6b, delivered in stages.
Key facts
- Region
- Auckland
- Sector
- Transport
- Status
- Planning
- Estimated value
- $4.3b
- Indicative completion
- 2032
- Funding status
- Part Funded
- Lead organisation
- Waka Kotahi / Auckland Transport
- Election risk
- Medium
Election risk assessment
Labour's northwest rapid-transit corridor was cut from the 2024–27 NLTP, then revived by National as a busway. Now government-backed and progressing, though large, staged and long-dated.
Government priority alignment
MEDIUM — Government-backed busway in the GPS / NZTA programme; rapid transit for the northwest.
Chronology
- 2016ATAP identifies northwest Auckland as a priority rapid-transit corridor
- 2021NLTP 2021–24 allocates rapid-transit funding incl. the northwest corridor
- 2024Labour's rapid-transit version removed from the 2024–27 NLTP
- 2025Revived as the Northwest Busway; NZTA endorses investment case and lodges fast-track approvals (Dec)
- 2026Stage 1 Westgate bus station opens (mid-2026)
- 2027Busway construction to start