TRANSPORT

Waitematā Harbour Connections: Additional Crossing

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi / Auckland Transport · Auckland

A second Waitematā Harbour crossing. NZTA's mid-2026 investment case recommended a tunnel, but in August 2026 the Government ordered a further Crown-led business case instead of choosing an option, pushing the decision to at least 2027. Treasury reviewed the earlier preferred option at $23-27b, and the bottom of that range is shown.

Weak signals: elevated risk Data: High

Delivery Confidence Score, 0 to 100, higher is better: a ranking of how strong this project's delivery signals are, not a probability. It blends eight factors, including the election risk and policy alignment shown below.

Breakdown▾

Data current as at 16 Sept 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.

Key facts

Region: Auckland
Sector: Transport
Status: Planning
Estimated value: $23b
Indicative completion: 2040
Funding status: No Source
Lead organisation: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi / Auckland Transport
Election risk: Extreme

Election risk assessment

National wants a road-only tunnel under the Waitematā Harbour. Labour and Greens want a multimodal crossing including rail. The two approaches differ by $8-18B in cost, a decade in timeline, and fundamentally in transport mode. No consent, no committed funding.

Government priority alignment

HIGH: Road-only tunnel option chosen, aligns with the government roads priority (though unfunded).

Recent changes

2026-W37Major Estimated value up 35%: $17b → $23b.
2026-W37Info Owner: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency / Auckland Transport → NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi / Auckland Transport.

Chronology

2023Indicative business case: options $15-25b+
2024Government backs a tunnels-based crossing
2026NZTA investment case recommends a tunnel, with value engineering and seabed testing completed
2026Government orders a further Crown-led business case instead of selecting an option, deferring the decision to at least 2027; a Meola Reef bridge route and a private consortium's bridge-upgrade pitch are also to be assessed (August)
2027expectedFurther business case due to report

Source

NZTA: Waitematā Harbour Connections ↗ · Beehive: Next steps on Waitematā Harbour crossing ↗ · RNZ: Another business case for Auckland harbour crossing confirmed despite recent NZTA study ↗

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