Leading New Zealand law firm Bell Gully and global law firm Ashurst Perkins Coie have together advised the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) on the successful procurement of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) for the Warkworth to Te Hana project.
The project will establish a 26-km, four-lane motorway between Warkworth and Te Hana, with interchanges located at Warkworth, Wellsford and Te Hana. The project is a section of Ara Tūhono, which forms part of the Northland Corridor, one of New Zealand’s most significant infrastructure projects intended to improve resilience, safety and transport connectivity between Auckland and Whangārei.
The award of the PPP to the Northway consortium to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new motorway was announced by Transport Minister, Hon. Chris Bishop on 30 July 2026. The Northway consortium comprises ACCIONA Construction, ACCIONA Concesiones and Aberdeen Investments, together with various subcontractors including AECOM and Downer New Zealand. The total overall project cost is approximately NZ$3.649 billion net present value during its 32 year construction and operating term.
Acting as an integrated commercial legal team, Bell Gully and Ashurst Perkins Coie advised NZTA on all aspects of the structuring and procurement of the project, including the contractual negotiations and finalisation of the Project Agreement with Northway. The work included updating and optimising the previous NZ standard form PPP Project Agreement, drawing on past experiences in New Zealand and international precedents and the market leading PPP and large-scale infrastructure expertise of Bell Gully and Ashurst Perkins Coie.
The Bell Gully team was led by commercial infrastructure partner Angela Harford, together with construction and projects partner Ian Becke and PPP and public law expert partner Kirsty Dobbs. They worked closely for the last two years with Derek Robertson, Northland Corridor Programme Director, and Ben Warden, NZTA’s General Counsel, Commercial – Governance, and were supported by senior associate Ruth Keats and Bell Gully’s broader infrastructure team.
Robertson said: “Bell Gully and Ashurst Perkins Coie have provided sound legal and commercial advice and support throughout the PPP procurement process for this vital Road of National Significance. Their combined cross-Tasman expertise, coupled with a relentless focus and commitment to meeting all of our ambitious targets over the last two years, have been invaluable in helping NZTA reach this important milestone.”
Commenting on the milestone, Harford said: “We are delighted to support NZTA on this significant and intergenerational infrastructure project, which will play a material part in strengthening the New Zealand infrastructure pipeline as well as creating long-lasting benefits for Northland and Aotearoa. This continues Bell Gully’s long-standing and proud history on New Zealand’s PPP projects, having advised the Crown on nine of the 10 PPP projects in New Zealand.”
The Ashurst Perkins Coie team was led by Sydney based partner Angus Foley. “This PPP project is truly world class. NZTA has led a procurement that harnesses global infrastructure contractor, investor and financier appetite to deliver an exceptional outcome for a project of this scale and complexity. We are pleased to have supported NZTA on a project that sets a new benchmark,” he said.
Ashurst Perkin Coie’s Australia-based team also included projects partners Jennifer Ingram and Krista Payne. They were supported by senior associate Alice Dawson and Ashurst Perkins Coie’s broader infrastructure team.
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