Renaming SH1

Council has chosen new names for the various sections of the main road through the district after the old state highway was replaced by the Kāpiti Expressway. Most sections will retain the name Main Road, or variations of it (Main Road North, Main Road South).

Read Council’s press release on the decision

As part of revoking the old State Highway 1 (SH1) to make it a local road, the stretch between Poplar Avenue and Peka Peka Road can no longer be called a state highway (or ‘old’ or ‘former’ SH) for address and identification purposes.

It’s been a long journey

In early 2017 we set up a working group representing local iwi Ngati Toa Rangitira, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, and Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, with local historian Anthony Dreaver to research and suggest possible names for seven sections of the former SH1 between Poplar Ave in Raumati and Peka Peka.

Dividing the old SH1 into sections was deemed the most sensible approach as it reflects the existing numbering, allowing residents to keep the same street numbers for their properties.

After the working group identified suitable names, we invited the wider community to provide feedback on the proposed name(s) and about 580 did so. All suggestions were assessed against Council’s road naming criteria [PDF 370 KB] and Land Information New Zealand’s (LINZ’s) best practice guidelines.

At that time no decisions were made, and the project was put on hold due to delays with the revocation.

Changes in 2025

Originally, we looked at renaming seven sections, but we’re now looking at five:

Section 1: Paekākāriki to Mackays Crossing no longer needs renaming as it will remain part of the state highway.
Section 2: Poplar Ave to Kāpiti Road will become Main Road South, with Hokowhitu Road as a back up if Land Information New Zealand rejects the variation on ‘Main Road’.
Section 3: Rimutaka Street to the Waikanae River becomes Main Road North, with Southward Drive as a backup.
Section 4: The road through Waikanae town does not need renaming as ‘Main Road’ is its existing formal name and doesn’t need LINZ approval.
Section 5: Waikanae town to Peka Peka will be treated as an extension to Main Road Waikanae but is subject to LINZ approval.
Section 6: The Hadfield Road connection will become Horrobin Road after one of the early farming families in the district.
Section 7 (Peka Peka to Te Kowhai Road) will now extend from the Peka Peka roundabout to Ōtaki River and forms part of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2O) revocation so renaming is on hold until completed.

Next steps

The new names will be formally notified. This will involve working with LINZ, affected property owners, business operators, and emergency services to ensure there is a smooth transition to the new road names and/or any numbering change

Amohia Street and Rimutaka Street in Paraparaumu are unchanged.