Working in partnership

• Hōkai Nuku
• Public Private Partnership

Hōkai Nuku

We have been partnering with Hōkai Nuku since 2010 when they originally formed to collaborate on the Ara Tūhono - Pūhoi to Wellsford project. Our partners have provided valuable specialist cultural and environmental advice for the first stage of the project. Hōkai Nuku is the authorised voice of four Iwi and Hapū mana whenua – Ngāti Manuhiri, Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Rango of Kaipara and Ngāti Whātua.

Hōkai Nuku, Waka Kotahi and NX2 worked together to ensure the values and historical significance of the project area are reflected for generations to come through the mahi toi package.

A number of carvings, silhouettes and pou whenua will line the new motorway and the mahi toi were designed and handcrafted by artists appointed by our partners, Hōkai Nuku.

Recognising the cultural identity and values of mana whenua, and acknowledging and expressing their traditions and relationships with their ancestral lands, water, sites, wāhi tapu and other taonga is an integral part of the project.

He Tohu Maumahara

At the entrance to Pūhoi stands He Tohu Maumahara, a large stone toki (adze) with a kauri handle. The mahi toi depicts a Māori tool that would have been used in the construction of the kāinga at Pūhoi, some of which were uncovered by project works.

Complementing the toki is a double handled saw, which similarly constructed the dwellings of the early Bohemian settlers to Te Awa Pūhoi.

The tools together represent how the settlers were welcomed and protected by Te Hēmara on their arrival, and their descendants that still reside in the Pūhoi area today.

Waharoa ki Ōkahu

These 4 pou tower alongside Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth providing a welcome and farewell to travellers as they enter or exit the Johnstones Hill tunnels.

Reflecting the connections of all of the iwi in the shared space, the pou were named for the 4 sons of Maki; Ko Manuhiri, Ko Maraeariki, Ko Ngawhetu, Ko Tawhiakiterangi.

Te Pā o te Hēmara Tauhia  

At Ōkahu Inlet is Te Pā o Te Hēmara Tauhia. The silhouettes at this site, similar to those that make up He Huihuinga Rangatira, represent the gathering of tūpuna.

This mahi toi celebrates the mana and resilience of Te Hēmara and his people who lived here and protected Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Rango tūpuna and ahi kaa rights in Mahurangi.

Tapuwae o Kahumatamoemoe

Adorning Tapuwae o Kahumatamoemoe, the Te Reo Māori gifted name for the Moir Hill Road Bridge are panels visbile to travellers along Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth.

The designs on the panels include the manaia head in the centre, with the body and arms on both sides to show the movement of waterways throughout the area, representing the whakapapa links between the Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Whatua tribes.

He Huihuinga Rangatira

The first piece installed on the project, He Huihuinga Rangatira, was blessed and unveiled in May 2022. He Huihuinga Rangatira is a collection of silhouettes depicting gathering rangatira chiefs and is situated near the Ōkahu inlet area that was home to generations of mana whenua.

Reipae

Public Private Partnership

In November 2016, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency awarded a contract to the Northern Express Group) for the project to be delivered as New Zealand’s second Public Private Partnership (PPP) for a state highway after the Transmission Gully motorway project in Wellington.

Under the PPP contract, the Northern Express Group will finance, design, construct, manage and maintain the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway for the 25 years that will follow the expected six-year period to build the motorway. Full ownership of the highway will remain with the public sector. 

The Northern Express Group is made up of firms with considerable experience in the design, construction, finance, maintenance and management of key infrastructure projects. The principal partners in the consortium include:

• Accident Compensation Corporation
• HRL Morrison & Co Public Infrastructure Partners
• Acciona Concesiones S.L.
• Fletcher Building Ltd
• Acciona Infrastructure Australia Pty Ltd
• The Fletcher Construction Company Ltd

 A PPP procurement means that the motorway is being delivered quicker than if funding was obtained through conventional channels.

PPPs have a proven track record for delivering great results for large-scale infrastructure, and using a PPP made good sense for the project. 

The size and complexity of the project means it will benefit from the innovation the private sector will bring to the task.

The 'availability’ PPP model adopted for the project also means that payments are not linked to the volume of traffic using the road. 

The PPP contractor will be paid for making a safe road open and available to traffic, and after achieving specified performance levels such as safety, customer satisfaction, reliability and journey times.

PPP agreement and schedules

The Project Agreement and the accompanying Schedules that form the contract documents relating to the Pūhoi to Warkworth Public Private Partnership have been made available for public viewing by Waka Kotahi.

Amended and restated project agreement – November 2020

The Pūhoi to Warkworth project agreement was updated following the Covid-19 settlement agreement (see media release below):

New completion date for Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway (1 July 2020)

The amended and restated project agreement, together with the schedules updated as a result of the Covid-19 settlement agreement, have been released.

Project Agreement – amended and restated (redacted in part) [PDF, 2 MB]

Schedule 5 – Property (redacted in part) [PDF, 770 KB]

Schedule 7 – Governance and service management (redacted in part) [PDF, 747 KB]

Schedule 9 – Operative documents (available in full) [PDF, 599 KB]

Schedule 10 – Completion (available in full) [PDF, 861 KB]

Schedule 12 – Service requirements (available in full) [PDF, 475 KB]

Schedule 14 – Payment mechanism (available in full) [PDF, 165 KB]

Schedule 15 – Insurance (redacted in part) [PDF, 276 KB]

Schedule 17 – Change compensation principles (redacted in part) [PDF, 176 KB]

Schedule 18 – Calculation of compensation on termination (available in full) [PDF, 175 KB]

PPP contract and project schedules