Matamata Piako District Council has been awarded a PGF grant to study the potential for an industrial hub at Waharoa (approximately six kilometres north of Matamata, New Zealand) and to fully develop the concept to an investment ready state.

Up to $800,000 has been granted by the PGF, with $100,000 contributed by Open Country Dairy, Inghams, Balle Bros and Waharoa Industrial Park.

Waharoa is a small rural Waikato town that has identified potential for expanded industrial development.  However, it is currently constrained by a lack of integrated land use, development and investment planning, resulting in hesitant investors, conflicts over resource use, odorous discharges and lower levels of prosperity for the local community (as measured by GDP and broad prosperity measures such as community wide wealth and skill levels).

The desired high level outcome is better integration of development and investment planning, leading to higher investment confidence, few conflicts in resource use with no discharges.  In turn this will lead to sustainable industrial hub expansion with local employment and skills development opportunities, improving prosperity for those people living in Waharoa and nearby environs (improving GDP and prosperity).

Aim

The aim of the feasibility study is to develop a broad understanding of the following at Waharoa:

• the market for industrial investment,
• current and future potential industrial investors and their businesses,
• the supply and demand of human capital
• infrastructure needs and constraints
• supply and demand of land for industry and for housing

The decision

One of the main projects mooted for Waharoa was a $21million natural gas pipeline from Okoroire, through Matamata to Waharoa to provide a source of processing heat for industry. First Gas, the gas operator, put this forward as part of the government’s ‘shovel-ready project’ programme after the Covid-19 lockdown but this application was unsuccessful.

We are now in the early stages of investigating a District Plan Change for Waharoa and the work done with the feasibility study and Business Case will feed into this.  We are also continuing to talk with iwi and stakeholders about the future of Waharoa.