Taupō town centre transformation

State Highway 1 cut through the centre of Taupō and created both a physical and visual barrier between the town and the lake. It limited how people moved and how the space felt day to day.

While the vision to relocate the highway dated back to the 1960s, turning it into reality required navigating significant challenges over many years. From funding and approvals, through to strong community concerns about what redirecting traffic might mean for the town’s economy and vibrancy.

Plans to create a bypass along the East Taupō Arterial drew strong views. Some feared the town centre would struggle without through-traffic. Alongside this, the designation process required close coordination with Waka Kotahi and careful navigation of a detailed planning pathway.

The challenge went further than removing the highway. The new environment had to improve how the town works. It needed to balance transport efficiency with a redesigned, more welcoming and accessible urban environment. 

Taupō District Council had invested its Taupō Electricity Limited reserve into the East Taupō Arterial, which enabled State Highway 1 to be diverted away from the town centre and created conditions for long-term change.

Taupō District Council succeeded in receiving funding from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) to transform the town centre and finally realise the vision of the 1960s. As part of a collaborative team with Taupō District Council, Boffa Miskell and Camex Construction, we helped deliver that transformation.

We worked closely with partners across multiple disciplines throughout the delivery. This included local support from Cheal Consultants. Together, we aligned network performance with the quality of the urban environment, so both could succeed.

This project was not only about redirected traffic. We integrated transport planning with urban design and infrastructure delivery, so the town centre could reconnect with the lake and support a better experience for both the community and visitors.

Together, we’ve supported a transformation that reaches well beyond infrastructure. Taupō’s town centre and lakefront now connect in a way that reflects a vision first set more than 50 years ago.

By moving State Highway 1 out of the CBD, Taupō has reduced through-traffic and opened space for safer, more accessible movement. The town centre now supports how people want to use it, whether they live locally or are visiting.

The lakefront feels part of the town again. Access is clearer. Movement is more balanced. People can spend time in the space without the barrier that once defined it.

This work leaves a legacy for the district. It reflects the commitment, leadership and collaboration that were needed to bring a long-standing vision into reality. And it shows what can happen when infrastructure investment is shaped around people and place.