Kia ora and welcome to this update on the Tauriko for Tomorrow project.
There’s lots happening around Tauriko for Tomorrow!
The SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works are in full swing, the hearing on the plan change to rezone Tauriko West for urban development is coming up, and stormwater management planning for the new community is well underway. Recent government announcements now provide direction for future improvements to SH29 around Tauriko (as part of the Roads of National Significance programme), and a busy summer maintenance programme is up ahead on SH29. Other planning projects to enable future urban growth are also in progress at Keenan Road, lower Belk Road and the Tauriko Business Estate.
Read up on all this below.
Tauriko Enabling Works progressing at pace
SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout
Construction started earlier this year in the Belk Road and Redwood Lane area and is in full swing at the SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout (as pictured). Since March 2024 the project has delivered:
- site clearance on both sides of SH29
- archaeological and ecological investigations
- earthworks for the construction of the walking and cycling underpass
- road widening of Redwood Lane
- work on water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure upgrades, including stormwater treatment ponds and enhancement and formation of wetlands; and
- undergrounding of power lines on SH29 and Redwood Lane to allow for the construction of the roundabout.
Over the coming months, more earthworks, relocation of utility services, drainage and raising the level of the roundabout to fit the new alignment will take place, and the contours of the roundabout will start to take shape.
SH29/Cambridge Road and Tauriko Village intersection upgrades
Work has now started on the section of SH29 between Tauriko Village and the Takitimu Drive Roundabout to upgrade the Cambridge Road intersection and provide access into the new community from Tauriko Village. Most works are currently taking place away from the state highway or in the shoulder and will ramp up with the construction of a retaining wall on Cambridge Road (near SH29) later this year.
This project is being delivered by Downer on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Tauranga City Council.
Sign up for the latest construction updates at nzta.govt.nz/tauriko-enabling-works
Planning for the new community at Tauriko West
Tauranga City Council is working to update the City Plan to enable housing development at Tauriko West. In March this year, council publicly notified the proposal to rezone the Tauriko West urban growth area from rural to residential, through a variation to Plan Change 33: Enabling Housing Supply.
Since the notification, council staff have been analysing submissions and preparing for the hearing, which will be led by an independent hearing panel on 4, 5 and 6 December 2024. Following this, the panel will provide their recommendations to Tauranga Mayor and Councillors, who will make the final decision on the plan change likely mid-2025.
The proposed plan change, and the structure plan underpinning it, provide for medium density housing, local commercial activities, open space and conservation zones, and a blueprint for the development of the internal infrastructure needed to service the new homes. The whole plan is underpinned by the goal to protect the significant cultural, heritage and landscape values of the Wairoa River.
More on the proposed plan change at tauranga.govt.nz/variation1-pc33
Protecting the Wairoa Awa (River): stormwater management
As part of planning for the new community, council staff have looked at how best to ensure that stormwater runoff from the future urban area does not impact negatively on the Wairoa Awa (River).
This includes working with the natural systems (e.g. existing watercourses and wetland areas) as much as possible, noting that the land will be recontoured to support urban development; and using ‘low impact design’ methods to retain, reduce and treat stormwater at its source. This includes swales, dedicated overland flow paths and extended detention measures to manage the runoff within and from the developed area.
As part of this, council is applying for a Comprehensive Stormwater Consent (CSC) from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council that will provide for water quality treatment, with a toolbox of low impact design measures available to developers. The area’s developers will then design and deliver the detailed stormwater management and treatment systems, aligned to the CSC and low impact design approach.
Hearings for the CSC are scheduled for early 2025.
Tauriko West Road of National Significance update
The Tauriko West project has been prioritised for delivery as one of the Roads of National Significance and is confirmed in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP). This means NZTA can now move forward into the next phases of the project which includes refining the scope of the project, designation and consenting.
To deliver on the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 (GPS 2024) priorities, the Tauriko West project has been realigned to prioritise economic growth and productivity, particularly the movement of freight.
As a result of this work, the phasing for the project has changed. The new SH29, between Ōmanawa Road and Takitimu Drive Toll Road (pictured in green), will be constructed first, ahead of the SH29A improvements between Takitimu Drive Toll Road and Barkes Corner (pictured in orange).
This change in phasing still enables housing and industrial growth to continue while providing efficient and predictable travel time for freight on a nationally significant strategic freight network to the Port of Tauranga, and NZTA remains committed to the full programme of Tauriko West improvements.
The next stage of the project is the investment case. Through this process the scope of the upgrades will be refined to align with the Road of National Significance (RoNS) standards and in accordance with the GPS 2024, looking at construction phasing, value for money and affordability.
The investment case findings will be presented to the NZTA Board early 2025. Once a decision is made, the designation and consenting phase of the project will start, to protect the route alignment before moving into construction.
Find out more and sign up for updates at nzta.govt.nz/projects/tauriko-west
Ōmanawa Bridge replacement
The replacement of Ōmanawa Bridge is part of the Tauriko West RoNS project and is a priority for NZTA as SH29 is a critical national freight route and key to the Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga triangle. This project includes replacing the bridge in a new location, realigning the connections on SH29 around the bridge and undertaking minor safety improvements to the Ōmanawa Road intersection.
NZTA are about to start detailed design for the bridge replacement while the procurement process for construction of the bridge and associated improvements is underway.
Construction of the new Ōmanawa Bridge is expected to start in late 2025, pending designation and consenting.
You’ll find more information here: nzta.govt.nz/omanawa
Busy summer ahead for SH29
SH29 is a key focus of NZTA’s summer maintenance programme. Between now and May 2025, 9 significant sites on the Bay of Plenty side of the Kaimai Range will be rebuilt and resurfaced. Once complete, drivers will have smoother and safer journeys along this section of the SH29 corridor.
This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.
To minimise impacts to traffic, most of the works will be carried out in the evening, between 7pm and 6am, on Sunday to Thursday nights (excluding public holidays) with stop/go in place.
Find out more about the SH29 summer maintenance programme.
Future community: developing plans for the Keenan Road Urban Growth Area
A portion of land in nearby Pyes Pā, known as the Keenan Road Urban Growth Area and also sitting within the Western Corridor, has been identified for future housing development and will follow the planned developments at Tauriko West.
The Keenan Road Urban Growth Area could deliver an estimated 2500-3000 new homes over the next 20-30 years.
Following two stages of public consultation in September 2023 and April 2024, Tauranga City Council is progressing the proposed structure plan for the new community. Stormwater, geotechnical and ecological investigations are on-going to inform this work, and council staff expect to bring the proposed structure plan to the community for feedback in late-2025.
Find out more about the Keenan Road Urban Growth Area.
Other changes to the city plan in the Tauriko area
Tauranga City Council has adopted the Independent Hearing Commissioner’s recommendations on Plan Change 34 and Private Plan Change 35.
Private Plan Change 35 rezones 108ha of land south of the Tauriko Business Estate to Industrial. This plan change was proposed by Element IMF, the developers of the Tauriko Business Estate. Rezoning this land helps to meet a predicted 320ha industrial land demand that’s needed in Tauranga over the next 30 years.
Plan Change 34 rezones a small portion of land at Belk Road between the existing Tauriko Business Estate and SH29 from Rural to Rural Residential.
Both plan changes are expected to become operative at the end of November.