A partnership with central government could unlock opportunities for economic growth, connected, resilient infrastructure and housing in the Western Bay of Plenty.
The area has experienced rapid growth during the past 20 years and it is ready to deliver further growth, Mayor of Tauranga, Mahé Drysdale, expects.
“To achieve this, we need to work in partnership with the government to provide the tools and legislative settings we need to enable new housing and business development at pace, allowing growth to pay for growth,” he confirms.
“The subregion is ready to work together with central government to deliver.”
A Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal is expected to deliver approximately 46,000 additional houses, 35,000 additional jobs and maintain annual economic growth at 4.6 per cent.
Through the deal, government will work with Tauranga City Council, BOP Regional Council and Western BOP District Council as well as other organisations.
“We have an established spatial plan and strategy agreed by all three councils and tangata whenua, alongside key government agencies,” says Western Bay of Plenty District Mayor, James Denyer. “Nevertheless, funding and policy barriers to growth remain and by seeking an enduring partnership through a Regional Deal, we aim to overcome these barriers.”
The partnership has been working on the concept for a regional deal for more than a year – Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair, Doug Leeder, is confident these efforts will be rewarded. “The prospect of Regional Deals is exciting,” he says. “In particular, they will deepen the partnership between local and central government, with mutually agreed objectives and delivery.”
All going to plan, the Western Bay of Plenty deal will build on infrastructure around key sections of the state highway network and encourage private sector investment, Todd Muller from economic development agency, Priority One, adds.
“The Port of Tauranga is one of the most significant pieces of economic infrastructure this country has. Building exports is critical to the future of New Zealand and this deal will help to ensure that infrastructure is provided to, and around, the port to support our exports getting to market.”
