Porirua iwi Ngāti Toa have gifted the name Te Ara Kāpehu to the road connecting Whitby to Transmission Gully motorway in a blessing Tuesday morning.
The name means, the direction as indicated by the compass.
Ngāti Toa kaumātua Taku Parai led a blessing and cut a ribbon to officially open the road with Porirua Mayor Anita Baker.
"It's taken a while to get where we are today but I think instead of looking at what's behind us, it's important to look forward and keep our eyes on the road ahead," Baker said in a speech.
"Transmission Gully and our link roads will be a game changer for our region and will be used by our residents and visitors alike."
The other link road connects Waitangirua to the highway.
A ribbon-cutting for the 27km Transmission Gully motorway will be held on Wednesday.
The motorway was originally expected to be complete by 2020.
Waka Kotahi previously said it's not announcing a specific opening time for the road, to prevent vehicles queuing in the area.
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