Projects | Hamilton Waikato Metro Spatial Plan, New Zealand

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Located in the heart of the upper North Island, Hamilton is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing cities. Over the next 30 years, the population in the metro area is expected to double to circa 550,000 people. To prepare for this growth, the city needs to consider how to best plan for its long-term future to maintain and improve its liveability.

Working with the Future Proof partnership^[1], Aurecon developed a region-defining document that will help shape Hamilton and the Waikato’s transport and land use future.

The Hamilton-Waikato Metro Spatial Plan Transport Programme Business Case explores the transport and land use responses to projected growth over the next 30 to 100 years, while reducing impacts on the environment.

It seeks to overcome known challenges, including:

High car dependence and traffic-centric design that create congestion, reduce access and safety for people and efficiency of freight.
Current transport networks do not support compact urban form (i.e. medium to high density development). With global trends indicating that denser cities support better environmental outcomes and enhanced liveability (greater social interaction, more incidental activity and time outdoors, greater housing options), this is a missed opportunity. The existing transport networks and metro spatial plan land use do not align with objectives to tackle climate change.
Lack of transport choice and dispersed land use will result in worsening equity of access to opportunities.

Location

Waikato
Hamilton, New Zealand

Client

Future Proof partnership (Hamilton City Council, Waikato Tainui, Waikato District Council, Waipa District Council, Waikato Regional Council, New Zealand Government)

Aurecon's Role

Providing strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and transport planning to develop the business case for Waikato's future transport network.

Expertise

Integrated Transport & Mobility, Engagement & Change Advisory, Infrastructure Advisory, Integrated Design

Complete

2022

Hamilton-Waikato Metro Spatial Plan has been developed for the future cycle network, improving cyclists' safety and convenience.

Unlocking the Waikato’s potential

The programme business case recommends a series of multimodal interventions that will deliver on the aspirations of the Access Hamilton Strategy and other strategic objectives including:

Rapid transit and frequent public transport network that will support a compact land use, encourage mode shift, and increase accessibility.
City-shaping intensification in brownfield and greenfield sites to achieve compact urban form and incentivise best use of land for climate change response and mode shift.
An integrated city-wide and regional walking, cycling and micro-mobility network with seamless first and last mile connections to public transport.
Increased freight efficiency and capacity through additional freight hubs, bus and freight lanes and a shift from road to freight rail.
Supporting interventions such as park and ride, demand management and optimisation, regional and rural access, route protection.

The business case defines the staging and sequencing of these interventions to enable a rapid roll out and accelerated delivery of radical transport change – from immediate (next one to three years), through to longer term (20 to 50 years).

Aurecon has also set the framework for Hamilton-Waikato’s transport and land use future by developing an execution plan to achieve staged and sequenced transport upgrades to realise the compact urban form needed to drive sustainable transport outcomes.

References

[1] Comprising Ngā Karu Atua o te Waka, Waikato-Tainui, Tainui Waka Alliance, Waikato Regional Council, Waipā District Council, Waikato District Council, Hamilton City Council, Matamata Piako District Council, Waka Kotahi, and Waikato District Health Board.