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.
The pathway to prosperity in Aotearoa is interconnectivity. Critical road linkages connecting Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty facilitate an easy flow commerce between the regions, yet the same can’t be said for those North of Auckland.
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.
The following report developed with the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research contains economic modelling that proves this point; investment in a robust and resilient transport corridor between Auckland and Northland would empower our region to thrive, amplify Auckland’s growth, and provide the critical next step to achieving Aotearoa’s economic ambitions.
Our government has set an ambitious target to double exports in the next ten years. This report reveals that 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. That’s $23.8 billion over a twenty-year period.
It would also stimulate population growth and migration to Te Tai Tokerau Northland – modelling shows a 50% increase in our current growth rates will increase regional GDP by $2.1b per annum by 2048. These numbers prove the case – quality infrastructure fuels economic performance.
On behalf of Northland and Aotearoa, we’re supportive of our government comitting to building a four-lane highway from Whangārei to Port Marsden, and Warkworth to Wellsford, as well as a four-lane highway alternative for the Brynderwyns.
We consider it a demonstration of long-term infrastructure investment, but our report makes a compelling case for something even more ambitious.
We aim to bring more investments and opportunities to the Far North, here are some of the intitiatives we are planning.
