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Port of Tauranga regional development Port of Tauranga regional development

Regional development

A core part of our work is ensuring our region grows in a way that keeps its values safe for current and future generations.

Regional planning and development involves collaborating with community stakeholders to develop policies and initiatives that help contribute to a thriving region.

Some of the work we do includes:

  • Developing strategies, policies, and plans for managing natural and physical resources in the region.
  • Promoting and funding regional infrastructure that is resilient, efficient and integrated.
  • Spatial planning that supports where and how the region should grow and develop.

For full details, please refer to page 52 of the current Long Term Plan.

Initiatives we are involved in

City and Regional Deals are strategic long-term partnerships between Local and Central Government to progress joint priorities including economic growth, enabling abundant housing, better management and utilisation of local assets, and closing the infrastructure deficit. 

What’s happened?

At the start of 2025, Central Government invited local councils to submit light-touch proposals outlining what would be delivered, who they would work with and surety on delivery. These proposals were then assessed to determine who Central Government would enter into Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with. 

We supported three regional deal proposals:

  • Western Bay of Plenty (with Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty District Councils, and Priority One)
  • Eastern Bay of Plenty (with Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Kawerau District Councils)
  • Rotorua-Taupō (with Rotorua Lakes and Taupō District Councils, and economic development agencies RotoruaNZ and Amplify). 

Where are we now?

In June 2025, Cabinet agreed to progress City and Regional Deal discussions with three regions:  Auckland, Western Bay of Plenty and Otago Central Lakes.

MoUs outlining each region’s objectives for a deal have been agreed. This means Western Bay of Plenty representatives are now negotiating with Central Government to determine what the final agreement for delivery will look like, and roles and responsibilities within this. 

The first deal is set to be agreed by the end of 2025, with two more by October 2026.  

Read the Western Bay of Plenty proposal.
Read the Western Bay of Plenty MoU and related cabinet papers.

What next for other subregions?

As a regional partner in other proposals, we will continue to work alongside other Bay of Plenty councils for the benefit of local communities, utilising existing mechanisms such as Long Term Plans, Regional Land Transport Plans, and spatial plans to advocate for and deliver critical infrastructure in other sub-regions.

Read the Eastern Bay of Plenty proposal.

For more information, visit the DIA website.

SmartGrowth sets the strategic vision and direction for the growth and development of the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region. SmartGrowth is a collaboration that has been working successfully for the past 20 plus years, leading the way nationally in integrated sub-regional planning and strategic thinking.

Our Places – Eastern Bay Spatial Plan maps out future spaces and places for Whakatāne, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki districts within the rohe of the iwi/hapū of the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The spatial plan reflects the collective aspirations for the rohe, which informs council Long Term Plan processes and government infrastructure investment decisions, and providing a pathway toward 2060.

Rotorua’s Future Development Strategy (FDS) identifies and maps the best places for future housing and businesses.

The FDS is a long-term strategy for the development of a well-functioning urban environment (the city including Ngongotahā) that provides for the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of its people, as well as directing how and where growth will happen over the next 30 years.

The Upper North Island Strategic Alliance (UNISA) is made up of seven councils who have committed to a long-term collaboration for responding to and managing a range of issues facing the upper North Island. A particular focus of UNISA is taking a ‘New Zealand Inc’ approach and perspective, to ensure the upper North Island and New Zealand remains internationally competitive and prosperous.

We are a shareholder in BOPLASS Ltd, a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) owned by the councils in the Bay of Plenty region. It has been set up to foster shared services between the participating councils.

At the heart of regional planning and development is robust data and information. We regularly collect environmental, economic, social and cultural data from all over the Bay of Plenty, which we use, and share with others, to help inform decision-making processes.