South Taranaki Industrial/Business Park

South Taranaki District Councillors have agreed to progress work on developing a South Taranaki Business Park.

At Monday’s (2 September 2019) Policy Development Meeting Councillor’s instructed chief executive Waid Crockett to implement a detailed Business Case to develop a Business Park for South Taranaki.

The recommendation came out of an initial Feasibility and Business Case Study undertaken by consultants Veros and Rationale, which was presented at Monday’s meeting. The Study confirmed the viability of developing an Industrial/Business Hub to enhance economic growth.

The initial study, which was part funded by the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, was commissioned because the Council saw a need for having industrial zoned land available, in the right place, to support economic development.

While South Taranaki has a strong economic and employment base (having one of the highest GDP’s per person in NZ), our reliance on the dairy, oil and gas sectors and on large employers does present a degree of risk. Developing a business park is one way Council can support economic resilience, growth and employment opportunities and attract new investment into the district.

The next steps will involve Council implementing the recommendations from the study which will include actions such as assessing potential locations and capacity of existing infrastructure, potential re-zoning, refining costs, identifying funding options, forming a working group made up of key landowners and stakeholders and establishing a development plan.

The Business Park proposal will be a key feature of the Council’s strategic plan for encouraging long term sustainable economic growth.

South Taranaki Industrial Park - Initial Business Case and Feasibility Report