Housing, roads top Tauranga’s billion dollar wishlist

Papamoa and Tauriko housing, a business park, and roading top Tauranga council’s shovel-ready priorities which would aid lockdown recovery - if potential fast-track consent changes come in.

Mayor Tenby Powell says he sees the proposed changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) as “important” in accommodating the city’s rapid growth.

“There is no way of stopping growth, it’s about managing it properly,” said Mr Powell.

“Tauranga is New Zealand’s fifth largest and fastest growing city, but interestingly it’s on New Zealand’s fourth smallest land size”.

Tauranga City Council has put forward plans totalling nearly $1 billion with housing for around 15,500 people, a major township and business park – ‘Rangiuru’ – in Papamoa East.

The council is looking to build a further 3000 houses in Tauriko West, and improve multi-modal transport along Cameron Road.

Two new interchanges would connect the Tauranga Eastern Link to the new Papamoa township and business park.

Mr Powell said that bringing “vibrancy” to downtown Tauranga is also a priority, allowing people to live in the central city by building 3 to 4 story apartment buildings.

However, Tauranga’s geography makes it difficult to build, so kickstarting projects in stable, sustainable areas is essential for handling the city’s growth, he added.

“I think that Tauranga has the ability to be one of the most attractive and livable small cities in the world, it’s just stunning.

“At the same time no one wants to see the environment in any way denigrated as a consequence of a relaxing or a speeding up of the RMA,” he said.

Changing the RMA process will help the economy recover from the lockdown by quickening start times for planned projects in his industry, said Peter Silcock, Civil Contractors NZ chief executive.

“The need to review the Resource Management Act has been pretty well agreed by most parties and I think this will be a really good test about how we can do things more efficiently and effectively whilst still protecting the environment,” he said.

Suggested changes to the RMA would remove council and public contribution, allowing a panel of experts to approve major projects.

The changes will be discussed before Parliament in June.