The AA welcomes the Government‘s announcement that the Puhoi to Warkworth (Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi) Northern Motorway extension (State Highway 1) will not be a toll road.

The AA’s Northland District Chair Tracey Rissetto congratulated the Minister on his decision. “State Highway One is the critical connection between Northland and the rest of the country.  Adding another toll point would have further increased the barriers Northlanders face to access Auckland and the south. With this decision out of the way, it now means Northlanders can look forward to the new road opening next year without having to worry about how expensive the tolls will be.”

The AA’s Auckland District Chair Mark Yates also commended the decision. “The Minister of Transport has clearly listened to the strong community feedback on the Waka Kotahi tolling proposal – 80 percent of submitters were opposed to the idea.  This is good news for Auckland and Northland motorists.”

The AA did not support the proposal to toll the road for two main reasons. First, it was foisted on the community after construction of the road had been underway for several years. Any public consultation on tolling should happen up front to inform a decision about when a new road should be built.

Second, State Highway 1 immediately south of the new road is already tolled. The AA, in a submission to Waka Kotahi, expressed concern with the cumulative impact of tolls on people using State Highway 1 for travel in north Auckland and between Auckland and Northland.

More information on the AA’s position on toll roads can be found in the AA’s submission on the Puhoi to Warkworth tolling proposal published on the AA website.

For more information contact:

Martin Glynn
Principal Adviser Advocacy
New Zealand Automobile Association
M. 021 757 238
E. mglynn@aa.co.nz