The Tauriko for Tomorrow information days held in May 2017 attracted more than 700 people over the two days.
The partners, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the NZ Transport Agency, were delighted at the fantastic response from the community.
We received 114 responses on the survey and we thank everyone who participated and attended the information days.
As well as the formal responses to the survey, feedback was collected during the sessions, from people who were very passionate about their community and able to provide local knowledge to the team.
The key themes that have emerged from the feedback emphasise how important it is to preserve and protect the local environment and rural nature of the wider area, and enhance community facilities. Whilst Tauriko West will be an urban environment with adequate green space, the team have taken on board the necessity to recognise the wider rural environment of the Wairoa River Valley.
Building a community at Tauriko West requires changes to the Regional Policy Statement and City Plan, improvements to the transport network (including State Highways 29 and 29A), as well as an alteration to the councils’ boundary.
Tauriko West, on the edge of Tauranga City, is set to become one of the western Bay of Plenty’s next growth areas. A long term plan is underway that looks at how best to develop the new community, improve transport links and open up the area for urban development.
The vision for Tauriko for Tomorrow is to create a thriving community for locals to live, learn, work and play locally. This means the community will have amenities such as schools, parks, cycle and walkways, access to shopping and community facilities, and transport infrastructure.
The teams are now working through their relevant pieces of work and doing further in-depth investigations:
- Bay of Plenty Regional Council – Update to the Regional Policy Statement extending the Urban Limits to include Tauriko West
- Western Bay of Plenty District Council – Alter the boundary so Tauriko West is serviced by Tauranga City Council and becomes a new suburb of Tauranga
- Tauranga City Council – Deliver a structure plan for the new urban growth area and associated City Plan changes
- NZ Transport Agency – Transport Network Plan, ensuring that the transport network enables and facilitates local growth without compromising the inter-regional role of the state highways