Tainui Group Holdings signs up first service and retail outlet for Hamilton's Ruakura Superhub

The Waitomo Fuel Stop will have alternative energy options including hydrogen refuelling and EV charging stations as well as commercial truck refuelling lanes. Image / Supplied

Tainui Group Holdings has announced the first service and retail offering for the Ruakura Superhub being built on the eastern boundary of Hamilton.

TGH has signed with Waikato-based fuel distributor Waitomo Group to develop a full-service, flagship site accessible off the Waikato Expressway via the Ruakura interchange. It is due to open by mid-2022.

"We are delighted to welcome Waitomo Group to Ruakura Superhub. With almost 75 years on the clock, we are confident they know and understand locals and visitors to our region. It is great to see a locally founded company take advantage of the opportunities provided by Ruakura and to deliver the kind of excellent experiences we aspire to provide," TGH chief executive Chris Joblin said.

Waitomo Group managing director Jimmy Ormsby (left) and TGH chief executive Chris Joblin after signing the Ruakura Superhub service and retail agreement. Photo / Supplied

The 1.6ha site will incorporate a Waitomo Fuel Stop with alternative energy options, including hydrogen refuelling and EV charging stations, as well as commercial truck refuelling lanes.

A touch-free carwash, two quick-service restaurants, a cafe and a convenience store will round out the offerings.

Waitomo Group managing director Jimmy Ormsby said the business was proud and honoured to be the first retail/service tenant to sign for the Ruakura Superhub.

"The service centre development will reflect the scale and quality expected from a project of national significance," Ormsby said.

Waitomo was founded in Te Kuiti in 1947 by Desmond Ormsby, and is now managed and owned by the third generation of the Ormsby family.

The company will mark its 75th anniversary next year. The company is committed to disrupting the New Zealand fuel market with competitive choice and pricing through its network of more than 80 Fuel Stops and Diesel Stops stretching from Paihia to Dunedin.

Joblin said extensive earthworks, construction of local connecting roads and leasing negotiations were now in progress across the 92ha first stage of the 480ha Superhub site.

Ruakura is among New Zealand's largest developments, spanning logistics, industrial, retail and residential development areas. Located at an emerging "sweet spot: for New Zealand's supply chain, it will be anchored by a 30ha inland port, with the first 17ha stage now in development by TGH and Port of Tauranga, in a 50-50 joint venture.

The inland port will be serviced by high-capacity rail and roading infrastructure, with the East Coast main trunk rail line running along the port's northern boundary and the new Waikato Expressway on the eastern boundary. Initially, rail services will be provided by the existing MetroPort trains running between Auckland and Tauranga.

The Ruakura precinct is estimated to accommodate 6000-12,000 jobs once it is fully developed and will have significant social and economic benefits for Waikato iwi, Hamilton, the region and New Zealand as a whole.

The Ruakura Superhub inland port and adjoining logistics hub are on track to open in early-to-mid-2022.