During 1987 and 1988, a major transportation study of the Auckland North Shore was undertaken by Takapuna City Council. This work was done within the context of a thirty year history of transportation modelling in New Zealand, together with the rapidly changing availability of hardware and software for such studies. Several major issues were addressed, including the size and shape of the North Shore and the Takapuna Central Area in the year 2001, the demand for cross harbour travel and the need for another harbour crossing, the capacity of the northern motorway system, and the arterial access routes serving the Takapuna Central Business Area. The study was the first major sub-regional study to be undertaken in study to be undertaken in New Zealand on micro computers. Although it used a conventional model form, it used many techniques which had not been applied in New Zealand before. In particular, emphasis was placed on development of a modelling hierarchy, treatment of specific time periods, assignment techniques including node specific delays, analysis of accidents, and economic assessment of alternatives. This paper briefly summarises the study, the philosophical approach taken, the analytical techniques used, and the study conclusions. It concludes with a discussion on the direction that current studies in New Zealand seem to be now taking (A).
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