Ōruku Landing hotel and conference centre in Whangārei hoping for fast-track consent

The Ōruku Landing development is proposed to include a hotel, conference centre, marina, apartments and car parking in Whangārei's Riverside Drive.

A multimillion-dollar conference centre and four-star hotel on Whangārei’s riverfront has applied for fast-track consenting.

The controversial Ōruku Landing is also hoping for funding for its conference centre through the Government’s new Regional Infrastructure Fund, despite previous Government funding being withdrawn.

The proposal includes a 1000-person conference and events centre, hotel with ground-floor shops and bars, marina, apartments and parking in Riverside Drive.

Northland Development Corporation first proposed a $136m conference centre to be funded with at least $57m from the Whangārei District Council, $60m from the Government and $6m from the Northland Regional Council.

But, after public feedback drew 4000 submissions against ratepayer funding, Whangārei District Council denied the funding in November 2021.

The district council later agreed to fund $3m on footpaths, stormwater and traffic lights in the area, and a further $8m for fit-out of a pared-back $62.5m conference centre.

In August, then-Finance Minister Grant Robertson withdrew the Government’s $59m funding due to concerns about financial viability, putting the brakes on the whole project.

But Barry Trass, of Northland Development Corporation, said Ōruku Landing was very much alive, with private investment available for the hotel.

The land would be subdivided into four separate parts — the conference centre, hotel, apartments and car parking — and the conference centre land would be owned by Marsden Point-based developer Marsden Maritime Holdings, Trass said.

Both the hotel and conference centre had applied for fast-track consenting, he said.

Northland Development Corporation would build the hotel, with plans being redesigned at the moment to make the build more affordable in the face of skyrocketing construction costs, Trass said.

There is still huge demand for a four-star hotel, despite another by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels New Zealand being on the cards in nearby Dent St.

Andrew Garratt, of Prosper Northland Trust, says the Ōruku Landing conference centre, across the river from the Hundertwasser Art Centre, is very much a live project. Photo / Denise Piper

“I think it’s great if that can happen as there’s room for two or three hotels in Whangārei —the accommodation is that short here ... It will give people confidence that they can come to town and find accommodation.”

Prosper Northland Trust is taking on the events and conference centre, with the aim of securing public funding and grants.

Andrew Garratt, of the trust, which built the Hundertwasser Art Centre, said the organisation had always focused on how things could be done, not why they couldn’t be done.

He hoped the events centre could get $59m funding from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund, although the criteria for this were still being worked through, he said.

Garratt said the project would be a regional asset. A previous estimate by Howarth HTL said it would bring $350m in economic benefits.

“We get a lot of comments that people want to do a conference in Whangārei or Northland, and we haven’t got the facilities.”

Both Trass and Garratt said the fast-track consenting process would not shortcut environmental protection, with iwi already consulted and building being at least 1m above ground to cater for future sea-level rise.

Trass, who is a New Zealand First supporter and funded $7900 to the party’s 2023 campaign, said the Government had good policies in place to manage any conflict or perceived conflict of interest when it cames to the fast-track consenting and project funding.

NZ First’s Shane Jones, as Regional Development Minister, is one of three ministers signing off fast-track consenting and one of five ministers approving the Regional Infrastructure Fund, but Trass said his support of the party was not an issue.

“I don’t hide behind the fact that I do support New Zealand First, because I think they’ve done a good job and we’ve got to thank them for a lot of what they’ve done here in Northland.”

Jones also endorsed Ōruku Landing in 2021 when council funding was being considered.

He also said the Cabinet Manual would be used to manage any conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest, but explained he had been involved with a lot of projects, including “every major Māori project”.

“We have to be practical and mindful of my involvement. We need to avoid catastrophising these things.”

Unclear if conference centre will meet fund criteria

A total of $1.2 billion over three years was confirmed in the Budget for the Regional Infrastructure Fund, with the criteria being worked out in June, Jones said.

The fund had $200m earmarked for flood resilience, but would also support projects where iwi could improve the lives of their people, and projects that increased productivity in the regions, he said.

Jones said it would be up to the regions to identify what projects would benefit them the most, and it was too early to rule the Ōruku Landing conference centre in or out.

Northland Inc was working with Northland’s four councils, industry, iwi and other key stakeholders to ensure Northland was aligned on its priorities for the fund, chief executive Paul Linton said.

“We are focused on opportunities which create employment, GDP growth, and enable investment to support managed growth across the region.”

Council no longer has funding available

Meanwhile, Whangārei District Council no longer has $11m funding set aside for Ōruku and no funding was included in its proposed long-term plan, which has just been consulted on, said Mayor Vince Cocurullo.

“No one has told us that it was still going ahead.”

However, if the project did go ahead, the council had agreed to use the developer contributions to pay for upgrades to the area’s infrastructure, such as stormwater, wastewater and traffic, he said.

UPDATE: The story has been updated to clarify that Marsden Maritime Holdings would own the land for the events centre, not the entire Ōruku Landing development, and to correctly attribute the economic development estimate. Updated 11am, June 4, 2024.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.