Te Ahu a Turanga, the Manawatū Tararua Highway, is a project of national and regional significance, led by the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to replace the closed Manawatū Gorge section of State Highway 3, which was closed in 2017 due to a series of slips and concerns regarding the resilience of the road.
Te Ahu a Turanga is an 11.5km route to reconnect the Manawatū, Tararua District, Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa. The new highway was opened to the public in June 2025 to great fanfare, following more than four years of construction. The highway has successfully restored a vital transport connection for communities and businesses in the wider region.
Buddle Findlay has played a central legal advisory role across all phases of this fantastic project, including the processes to designate land, obtain resource consents, acquire land, and engage – and ultimately form powerful partnerships – with local iwi. We supported NZTA, and latterly the Te Ahu a Turanga Alliance, in this work, through an initial process to designate land for the new highway, and in a process where an application for resource consents was referred directly to the Environment Court for consideration. Because of the support of iwi and the collaborative process adopted, these were very efficient processes.
Our role
Designation and consenting
Buddle Findlay successfully assisted NZTA in obtaining the necessary designation and resource consents for the highway under an accelerated timeline. This included navigating a novel consenting pathway involving separate hearings for designations and consents. The consenting process was referred directly to the Environment Court and was one of the fastest processes undertaken in New Zealand, enabled by strong iwi support and a highly collaborative approach.
Land acquisition and property rights
We advised on compulsory land acquisition under the Public Works Act and negotiated land rights for critical infrastructure, including the bridge crossing over Parahaki Island. This included detailed advice on property rights, stakeholder engagement, and Public Works Act processes.
Māori engagement and co-governance
Buddle Findlay led negotiations with iwi, including complex land rights over Parahaki Island, and appeared in the Māori Land Court on related matters. The project is unique in that NZTA entered into a formal alliance with its contractors and five local iwi to implement the project, providing a very positive model for Crown-iwi collaboration in infrastructure delivery. Te Ahu a Turanga was the first roading project in New Zealand to include iwi at all levels, from governance through to management and operations. This meant local iwi were embedded within the project, delivering benefits including community development, health and safety outcomes and being kaitiaki (guardians) of the project.
Strategic and legal complexity
Complex ecological issues required careful attention and advice from our team. In order to reduce ecological effects, the road alignment was altered, which required a designation to be modified halfway through the designation process. This required a separate Environment Court hearing, in which our team successfully assisted NZTA to have the necessary modification confirmed. In addition, our legal advice addressed cultural and legislative complexities, including the Reserves Act, railways legislation, and engagement with mana whenua.