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An artist’s impression of the complete development of Ruakura planned for Hamilton.
Development of the Ruakura Superhub on Hamilton’s eastern fringe will accelerate after a $ 40 million funding boost from the Government.
The injection of funds, announced Wednesday, includes a $ 20 million grant to Hamilton City Council and a $ 20 million loan to Tainui Group Holdings.
In June, the Government announced a $ 16.8 million grant for the development of the inland port, courtesy of the Provincial Growth Fund, to be used to build roads around the inland port. The latest injection of funds will help finance water and road infrastructure.
Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) chief executive Chris Joblin said the new funds will allow Ruakura Superhub to open in early to mid-2022, about a year or two earlier than previously planned.
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The funds also unlock $ 150 million in capital works from TGH, its development partners and the Hamilton City Council.
Initial projects are expected to create about 250 jobs.
“In 2022, you will see a fully operational inland port, served by rail, trains with shipping containers, goods being loaded and unloaded,” Joblin said.
“You will see warehouses, buildings there too. We are also in the process of working on a service center for the Waikato Expressway. ”
Dominico Zapata / Things
The government is committing $ 40 million to the Ruakura Superhub as part of its investment in “ready-to-use projects.” From left to right, Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate, Labor MP Jamie Strange, Maori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta, and TGH CEO Chris Joblin.
The Ruakura Superhub will be anchored by a 30-hectare inland port, with the 17-hectare first stage now under development. The entire project occupies 480ha of land and is expected to accommodate 6,000-12,000 jobs once fully developed over the next four decades.
“Depending on how we ultimately distribute it, there could be two million square meters of industrial and logistics storage space,” Joblin said.
“So that’s globally significant and that’s why Ruakura is a superhub. There is nowhere within New Zealand where you can take that scale in one place with all the critical infrastructure that already exists in terms of the Waikato Expressway and the main rail line. “
The government’s investment comes under its shovel-ready project initiative, and opens up the prospect of new housing in the east of the city.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said the Ruakura Superhub is critical to the economic growth of Hamilton and the region as a whole. The new funds effectively push the “continue” button in development after years of extensive planning.
“Is [funding] it is the key that unlocks that enormous economic opportunity from which all Hamiltons will benefit with jobs, ”said Southgate.
Dominico Zapata / Things
The Ruakura Superhub includes 480 hectares of land and will be anchored in a 30 hectare inland harbor.
“With the new roads and water infrastructure, anchor tenants will now be able to enter and it will unlock the potential for housing development in Ruakura near Five Cross Roads. So bring in homes and jobs, it doesn’t get better than that. “
Maori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the inland port will unleash more investment in Hamilton and allow the city to contribute to a better flow of goods across the upper North Island and across the country.
The Ruakura Superhub will also be a “game changer” for Waikato-Tainui.
“This project has been on hold for a while and it has been a great dream and aspiration, certainly within Waikato,” Mahuta said.
Jamie Strange, a Hamilton-based Labor MP, said the development of Ruakura fuels the narrative that Hamilton has come of age as a city.
Once up and running, the Ruakura Superhub will help link the supply switching network of the upper North Island and strengthen the connection between the ports of Auckland and Tauranga.
“I’m sure a lot of Hamiltonians don’t appreciate the scale and importance of this because that’s often the case with infrastructure. But once people see it at work, they will be amazed, ”Strange said.
“This project is the size of the Auckland CBD on the eastern edge of Hamilton. It is incredibly significant. “
