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The innovation and enterprise park we are developing near Kaikohe with PGF funding is proceeding at pace. We were delighted to be able to confirm in February 2021 that we had enough confirmed business occupants to make the park viable. And by May 2021 we were able to announce that it had won the inclusive development award at the 2021 Economic Development New Zealand (EDNZ) Awards.
Five cornerstone occupants in Stage One of the park’s development are investing an additional $40m to establish themselves there, creating about 150 new jobs and equipping about 100 people a year with high-value, transferrable skills.
These include Kaikohe Berryfruit Limited and Kerikeri-based Olivado (see our news release for more details).
Other park occupants operate in food and beverage processing and manufacturing. Education and training providers will offer courses at the park, including trades training to build prefabricated, low-cost community and social housing.
It is envisaged that the park will be home to a range of organisations whose activities will complement, rather than compete with, already-established local businesses. Activity that will expand the economic potential of the region and add value to existing businesses by helping them extract greater value from their operations
The goals of the park are to generate employment opportunities in the Kaikohe region, to boost the productivity and GDP of the district and the region, to encourage and enable the use of Māori land for the benefit of iwi and hapū, and to protect land and water resources.
Far North Holdings and mana whenua Ngāti Rangi have spent more than two years working with regional economic development agency Northland Inc, government agencies, iwi, sector and economic development specialists, engineers, architects and planning experts to develop the business case for the park, and a masterplan designed to provide as much of a ‘closed loop’ manufacturing system as possible.
This involves tenants using the innovations and unwanted by-products of other businesses on the site and will help avoid additional demand on already-stretched community services such as potable water, raw water, waste-water treatment and waste management services. For example, Olivado’s biogas facility will process waste streams from horticulture and food manufacturing to provide biomethane gas, an LPG substitute, to other businesses and fertiliser to the horticulture business.
The park is designed to collect as much water as possible and grey water is treated on site. Water for the park’s tenants will be supplemented by the Matawii Dam to be built nearby by Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust.
Far North Holdings is implementing parts of a long-shelved plan to develop the waterfront at Paihia in the Bay of Islands. It has received $8m from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) to build breakwaters that will protect waterfront infrastructure, including the town’s wharf and main road, and utility services such as sewage and water.
Far North District Council (FNDC) has earmarked an additional $5.3m to the project. This is enabling development of the recreational area and restoration of the beach between the wharf and Nihonui Point.
The design and components of the waterfront redevelopment will be subject to input and prioritisation by the community and FNDC. Options include an expanded and enhanced recreational area, a cycleway, a promenade, inter-tidal beach steps, shelters and seating.
For more details see our news release and visit our Paihia waterfront redevelopment page here.
We are working with Council and the Community Board on a Master Planning exercise for Kaitaia, which hopes to revitalise parts of the town.
We are in the early stages of investigating the opportunity for Far North-branded honey in various important export markets. We are working with a Chinese distributor to see if we can establish a presence there and we are also examining the US and United Arab Emirates markets. If we are successful the potential exists for us to help local honey producers access and sell into these lucrative markets.
In addition to the work we undertake in our own right, our team provides project management services to the Far North District Council on a range of Council-owned and Council-commissioned projects involving the re-development and upgrade of various items of marine infrastructure around the District.
These include the development of new maritime facilities at Rangitane, near Kerikeri.
The Provincial Growth Fund’s COVID-19 Response ‘Shovel Ready’ fund has granted $2,450,000 for the construction of a reclamation that will provide much-needed recreational boating access to the Bay of Islands for the people of, and visitors to, the area.
It is envisaged that this will comprise 16 trailer parks, 12 car parks, a double-width boat ramp with central launching pontoon, and reconstruction of the existing jetty and pontoon.
The Far North District Council (FNDC) is contributing $1.18M towards the project.
There is an existing boat ramp here but the steep angle of the ramp makes it difficult to use. There are also no marked trailer parking spaces, leading to trailers being parked on the road shoulder – which is hazardous. The existing jetty is in disrepair.
The nearest public boat ramps are Doves Bay and Opito Bay. Both these facilities have insufficient parking during peak periods. FNDC is currently undertaking a district-wide study of boat ramp parking facilities to confirm the extent of the issue.
Next steps are to progress the detailed design and to apply for Resource Consent later this year. If Resource Consent is granted the objective is to complete this project in 2022.
Members of the community are welcome to provide feedback on the proposed design to community stakeholder manager Al Wells (awells@mwasolutions.co.nz)
Consent Decision – Amended and Recieved 7 October
NRC Consent
Plan of site Stage 1
Plan of site Stage 2
Plan of site Stage 1 and 2 Sept 2019
The company’s plans for this land were extensively publicised within the community, and discussed by the community, over a period of many years. We also briefed members of the Whangaroa Bay of Islands Community Board on several occasions over this period.
The initial Consent application was lodged and publicised on social media, in regional print media, on the FNHL website, and with the local community group Love Opua.
FNHL provided plans and artist impressions and asked for public feedback and comment through a number of public mediums. Despite inviting feedback from the community, no word of protest was received for a full 18 months while FNHL continued the Consenting process with Council. The first indication of community resistance to the project appeared after we announced that the Consenting process was complete.
Here is a breakdown of various items of communication and engagement:
Slide covering FNHL Opua Plan presented at the Love Opua AGM of 2015 at which Community Board members were present.
Invitation to a Love Opua meeting on 7 March 2018, at which we outlined the proposed Kellet Street development.
Feedback from Love Opua to the 7 March meeting.
The company’s original news release of 23 May 2018 in which we informed the community about plans to apply for Consent, and invited community feedback.
Social media discussion about the announcement of 23 May 2018. Facebook analytics informs us that this post ‘reached’ 2,765 people, with 672 of those ‘engaging’ with the post in some way.
An email to FNDC Councillors (Bay of Islands), dated 23 May 2018
An email to the Bay of Islands – Whangaroa Community Board Chair and the local representative on that Board, dated 23 May 2018