Three groups of construction and infrastructure companies will be bidding to build the next section of the new Northland Expressway after the shortlist for the public-private partnership has been confirmed.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop today revealed the three consortia, selected by the NZ Transport Agency, would move on to the next step in the bidding process to build a 26-kilometre, four-lane expressway from Warkworth.

The shortlist is:

• Northway: Acciona Concesiones SL, abrdn Global Sustainable Infrastructure GP IV Ltd and Acciona Construction New Zealand Ltd
• Go>North: VINCI Highways SAS, John Laing Ltd, VINCI Construction Grands Projets SAS, VINCI Construction GeoInfrastructure SAS and HEB Construction Ltd
• Together North: Plenary Origination Pty Ltd, Webuild SpA, WBCA Pty Ltd, Gamuda Engineering Pty Limited and Service Stream Holdings Pty Limited

The consortia would now submit proposals for the financing, design, construction, management and maintenance of this section of the expressway.

A preferred bidder was expected to be chosen in early 2026, a contract finalised in mid-2026 and early construction work to begin in late 2026.

The Warkworth to Te Hana section would connect to the new Pūhoi to Warkworth expressway with initial designs including an 850m-long, twin-bore tunnel in the Dome Valley and three interchanges located at Warkworth, Wellsford and Te Hana.

The road, once fully complete, was estimated to be one of New Zealand’s most expensive infrastructure projects, with the Infrastructure Commission estimating the project would consume one dollar in every 10 spent by the Government on infrastructure over the next 25 years – excluding maintenance and renewals.

Northland Regional Transport Committee chairman Joe Carr, Whangārei MP Dr Shane Reti, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Northland MP Grant McCallum talk about the preferred route for the Northland Expressway. Photo / Dean Purcell

Bishop, also the Infrastructure Minister, announced the Government was seeking expressions of interest at its Investment Summit in March.

“We received very strong interest in this project from both domestic and international consortia, several of which included companies who attended the Investment Summit,” he said.

“The shortlisted consortia are all well-positioned to deliver a high-quality motorway that will boost regional resilience, enhance road safety and travel reliability and strengthen vital connections for freight, tourism and everyday drivers.”

Guido Cacciaguerra, the Australia-based head of PPPs for Italian Webuild, a multinational industrial group specialising in construction and civil engineering, had confirmed his company would bid for the PPP at March’s summit.

Cacciaguerra said his firm has a long history in New Zealand. Codelfa-Cogefar, a predecessor firm to Webuild, helped construct tunnels for the Tongariro hydro scheme in the 1960s.

“The Italians are coming back,” he told media at the summit.

“Every time there was a new deadline, that was met.

“The Northland Corridor is happening, it’s real … I work with governments around the world and it is very rare to see every time a deadline that is met by the government side."

Cacciaguerra said his investment, “in terms of debt” would be “billions”, and “in terms of equity, hundreds of millions”.

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.