Tauranga on the rise: Paving the way for future prosperity

Source: Nigel Tutt, Priority One CEO

The number of cranes in our city centre at the moment is a clear sign of a city that has some confidence in its future; showing that developers and investors are backing growth prospects with their capital and energy.  While this is a clearly visible sign of progress, there are a few other areas that have equal significance that are less prominent. They are also very deserving of the spotlight.

The Tauriko Business Estate (TBE) has grown at a rapid rate over the past few years, moving from either bare sections or undeveloped ground to an industrial estate where nearly all sections are spoken for or built on. While Tauranga’s great location and environment mean there have been some large relocations such as the Winstone Wallboards plant, it has also provided growth capacity for many local businesses as they expand or outgrow their existing premises.  Helped by a proactive developer, TBE has gone from strength to strength and now houses several great companies, from locally produced kombucha to robotic equipment, to the many companies that service the construction industry. Several thousand employees work in the estate.

To cater for this and future growth, we can now see progression on the enabling works for the roading projects that will service the industrial estate, future housing, and our route to Hamilton. I would expect this estate to keep growing strongly in the future, with demand from companies moving out of Auckland and locals seeking to upgrade their facilities.

Further East, the commercial and industrial developments in Papamoa East and Rangiuru are also very important for our region. They will provide additional capacity for local businesses that need to be on that side of the city and will allow for the expansion of local industry. It is critical that businesses have choice in terms of where they locate themselves so that they can be close to customers, suppliers or to talent.

In both cases, we are helped by having large amounts of current and planned residential land right next to where the jobs are created, reducing the need for cross town travel for employees.

While focus tends to rightly be on housing for the future, all cities need good supply and development of industrial land to help service the population, to allow locals to expand, and to provide jobs for our community. The growth of these areas in our city is another proof point of the momentum that our area has at the moment, and the brightness of the future ahead.