Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland

At a glance 

Arataki Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland regional direction [PDF, 4.2 MB]

Arataki Tāmaki Makaurau statistics table – infographic alternative [PDF, 114 KB]

The September 2023 v1.1 release of Arataki includes updates to reflect the severe weather events of 2023 and make minor corrections. Most sections of the Arataki Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland regional direction have climate-related updates.

Because of its size, scale, and substantial forecasted future growth, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland has a significant role to play in achieving transformational change and our national transport outcomes.

The scale and complexity of the transport challenges in Tāmaki Makaurau, coupled with the country’s reliance on its economic significance, means a strong partnership between central government, local government, and Māori is essential.

Tāmaki Makaurau needs more compact, mixed-use, urban form along with greater use of public transport, walking, and cycling. This would support emissions reduction, improve access to travel options, increase housing supply and affordability, and help make Tāmaki Makaurau a better place to live.

Significant investment is needed to expand the rapid transit network, improve public transport services, complete the cycling network, and enable growth. This investment needs to get more from the city’s existing infrastructure and increase the numbers using alternative travel choices.

Tāmaki Makaurau has well-established transport plans and planning processes, such as the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) and the Auckland Plan 2050. Throughout 2023 central government and Auckland Council have been developing the Tāmaki Makaurau Integrated Transport Plan (TMITP), to maintain alignment on a long-term strategic approach and short-term investment priorities. The Auckland Development Strategy and the new Future Development Strategy were also reviewed in 2023 to better integrate future land use with infrastructure provision. Ongoing joint planning will be critical to delivering the right outcomes in a complex and constantly changing landscape.

Resilience should also be considered, with parts of Tāmaki Makaurau vulnerable to landslips, flooding, erosion, and high winds. 

Focusing our efforts 

Transport challenges in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland must be tackled in a cohesive way for efficient and effective progress. The directions below identify the most important issues to be resolved over the next 10 years to make progress towards transport outcomes.  

• Actively support, enable, and encourage as much growth and development as possible in areas that already have good travel choices and shorter average trip lengths.
• Rapidly accelerate delivery of walking, cycling, and public transport improvements through reshaping and reallocating existing streets to drive significant mode shift in line with emission reduction goals.
• Confirm timing and sequencing of major planned strategic projects, especially the rapid transit network, to provide greater certainty to the public about these investments to help shape future growth patterns.
• Confirm the implementation of demand management tools, such as pricing, to unlock the significant benefits while mitigating potential equity challenges.
• Confirm how key resilience risks will be addressed over time, and work with communities to identify when to defend, accommodate, or retreat.
• Continue to implement road safety plans and programmes, including those focused for iwi Māori.
• Establish new methods of effective, long-term, integrated planning and investment decision-making for infrastructure that reflects the high-level of uncertainty around the location and timing of growth.
• Improve or maintain, as appropriate, physical access to marae, papakāinga, wāhi tapu, and wāhi taonga.

These will be updated over time to focus effort on the most critical matters.

Arataki Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland regional direction [PDF, 4.2 MB]