With his love of the ocean, it might have been inevitable that Sam Newbury ended up in the Bay of Plenty after leaving Australian shores, spending the last four years bringing his wealth of skills and knowledge to Quayside, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s investment arm.
Quayside delivers sustainable, inter-generational returns to the Council to provide greater prosperity for the region. In the last year, we decreased general rates by approximately $350 per property.
Through our experienced Investment team, of which Sam is a senior member, Quayside manages a wide range of assets and investments (directly or indirectly) aimed at providing impactful outcomes for the community we live in.
Sam has used his experiences across a wide range of industries to hone his craft as our Senior Investment Manager, driving investment in multiple areas including several real estate projects in both Tauranga and Rotorua, and multiple private equity investments across New Zealand. Sam also holds some important governance positions for local businesses, including Good Buzz, Aqua Curo and Huakiwi.
Sam possesses a keen ability to provide commercial returns for Quayside, and therefore the wider community, meshing his experience in finance, construction, and regional business development with a strong push on innovation.
Aqua Curo is one of Sam’s most important long-term projects, with the pilot trial in the Bay of Plenty yielding positive results.
The name, “Aqua Curo” means managing/caring for water. Using world-first technology, Aqua Curo has partnered with the University of Waikato and Western Bay of Plenty District Council to develop the largest alternative water treatment facility in the southern hemisphere, demonstrating the ability to harness bioremediation to eliminate pollutants from Aotearoa’s waterways, leaving the water both cleaner and safer.
Our macroalgae removes pollutants resulting in cleaner water as well as an algae-based by-product that could create enormous future employment opportunities.
Sam has been instrumental in bringing this idea to life in our region, commenting “the opportunity to disrupt the current model and evolve conventional thinking regarding water treatment is huge.
Doing this whilst providing a positive impact on the environment and simultaneously creating value for shareholders and wider stakeholders is a driving force for me – the best of both worlds”.
Sam’s ability to influence positive outcomes, coupled with a strong sense of community, love of nature and outside-the-box thinking, makes him a cornerstone of Quayside and our future.
Our best stories are ahead of us.
Related: Quayside, 30 years of investing – The Bay’s hidden treasure
