Paul Davidson, Tauranga City Council chief financial officer and Doug Leeder, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chairman. Photo/supplied
The Tauranga Harbour Marine Precinct is the very first project to receive payment from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Today Doug Leeder, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chairman, presented Tauranga City Council with the Regional Infrastructure Fund's first payment towards the development of the Marine Precinct, in the form of a cheque for $1,515,172.20.
This is the very first payment made from the Regional Infrastructure Fund. The fund was established to support and promote economic development in the Bay of Plenty.
The Marine Precinct is a key strategic development for Tauranga City Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The development of the precinct will create significant opportunities for long-term economic development, business and job creation, and become a hub for the regional marine sector. On this basis the Regional Council selected the project as a fund recipient for a total of $5 million.
Doug Leeder said he looked forward to seeing the expected benefits of the Tauranga Marine Precinct project realised for the local and regional community.
"The Regional Infrastructure Fund can help grow the region's economy through projects like this. By supporting the local marine industry in this way, we can keep and grow jobs here, and attract more talent and investment to the Bay of Plenty.
"This project is a great example of collaboration between councils and we are glad to see good progress made on the construction of the precinct," Mr Leeder said.
Construction on the Marine Precinct site started in November last year. Since then, civil contractors HEB Construction have completed demolition works, upgraded the stormwater system servicing the new lots and made good progress in preparing the precast concrete elements that will be used to build the hardstand, the new wharf and the vessel hoist loading bay.
Over in Italy, the precinct's future vessel hoist - the largest in New Zealand at 350 tonne haulage capacity - is being built by Cimolai Technologies. Manufacturing of the large steel elements constituting the frame of the hoist is well advanced, as is the installation of the electrics and the hydraulic systems. The vessel hoist will be shipped to the Port of Tauranga in containers and assembled at the precinct once the heavy pavement hardstand is ready.
Mayor Greg Brownless said he was delighted to see good headway made on the project.
"It's fantastic to see the product of our partnership with Bay of Plenty Regional Council taking shape before our eyes" he said.
"Collaboration between councils and with the private sector is really important to enable positive outcomes across the board.
"I am looking forward to seeing the hardstand built, the vessel hoist in operation and the precinct's marine businesses bringing commercial activity to the city and the region."
The presentation of the first Regional Infrastructure Fund payment to the Marine Precinct coincides with the arrival of more than 100 marine industry professionals to the region, for the national NZ Marine Industry Conference 2017 which Doug Leeder opened this morning.
Marine industry executives chose Tauranga as the host destination for their conference due to its significance for the national marine industry. This afternoon attendees will hear about the Marine Precinct from Fiona McTavish, General Manager of Strategy at the Regional Council and from Project Director Phil Wardale who will update them on construction progress before taking the group on a site visit.
The Regional Infrastructure Fund was allocated through a contestable process to support and promote economic development in the Bay of Plenty. The fund is a commitment made in Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Ten Year Plan 2012-22, and updated through the Long Term Plan 2015-2025.
The Fund provides capital funding to assist in the development of major infrastructure projects that support sustainable regional economic development.
The aim is to help accelerate infrastructure projects, improve outcomes and quality of projects and/or increase the scope of projects.
A total fund of $42.5 million has been fully allocated to for four projects:
• A Harbour Marine Precinct for Tauranga City ($5m);
• An Innovation Centre at Scion's Innovation Park in Rotorua ($2.5m);
• A shared tertiary campus in Tauranga ($15m);
• The Opotiki Harbour Transformation ($20m).
The Tauranga Harbour Marine Precinct is an $11.4m project to deliver a purpose-built marine servicing facility at Sulphur Point. The precinct will provide a base for boat building and refit businesses in Tauranga and will be managed by Tauranga City Council under the Vessel Works brand.
By end of 2017 (stage 1 development), the precinct will include lots in a range of sizes for marine businesses, a 6,300m2 vessel storage area (hardstand), deep-water marina berths for large vessels and New Zealand's largest vessel hoist (350-tonne haulage capacity and extra-wide).
Further development (more lots, extension to the hardstand) will be undertaken in stages, based on demand from the industry.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is the funding partner for the Marine Precinct project, contributing $5 million through the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Tauranga City Council's $6.4 million contribution will be partially offset by the sale of properties on and near the site.