Waharoa is strategically located, close to Port of Tauranga, under two-hour drive from most Auckland locations and at the centre of a major railway junction and on a State Highway. It is the logical eastern Waikato hub for economic activity.

The project has worked closely with Ngāti Hauā, local community, Crown agencies and business to develop a feasible plan to address the social, cultural, environmental and economic challenges faced in the community. We want to lay the foundation for a major increase in economic activity extending well beyond the immediate opportunities we have identified.

The feasibility study has proposed the following key projects:

• an employment and training hub
• a rail siding
• a gas pipeline extension to Waharoa
• Industrial Development including post-harvest food processing operations
• Increasing the capacity of the water and wastewater network

The study concluded the employment and training hub, rail siding and gas pipeline and food processing operations were the key things to get underway as soon as possible. These would act as a ‘catalyst’ for future development of Waharoa.

Read the full feasibility study here