Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal

The Western Bay of Plenty sub region has signed a deal with the Central Government which outlines a series of commitments that will be delivered over a 10-year period. The signatories of the deal are the New Zealand Government, Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and The Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

There are seven priorities which have been agreed around the key themes of:

1. Transport Infrastructure.
2. Land & Housing Development.
3. Social Infrastructure (Health and Education).
4. Export Growth.
5. Economic Diversification.

A governance structure is established which comprises of a leadership group (Ministers, Mayors and Chair of the three councils) a deal oversight board and a series of steering groups and working committees.

A deal oversight board will be established comprising of representatives of Central Government, Councils, Private Sector and Iwi. This will report to a leadership group made up of Ministers, Mayors and Chair.

The first phase is a planning phase, which will develop an implementation plan which will be approved through our councils and the government (4-6months) and then we enter the 10-year Delivery or Implementation period of the Deal.

Reporting is quarterly to Governance with reviews set out over time to ensure alignment and delivery of the outcomes.

Read the signed deal

Read the priorities and initiatives summary document

What's the deal with the City & Regional Deal?

The Government's City and Regional Deals are focused on unlocking economic growth, housing supply, and investing in connected, resilient infrastructure through long-term, place-based partnerships.

The Western Bay of Plenty sub region is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing regions, but growth comes with challenges. The intent of the regional deal is to help unlock our sub region's full potential and improve liveability - creating opportunities for economic growth, jobs, new housing and better, connected infrastructure.

Overview - what's a Regional Deal

A City and Regional Deal is a government policy that aims to create long-term strategic partnerships between central and local government to help progress joint priorities, including economic growth and improving housing affordability, transport and social infrastructure.

The Western Bay of Plenty is one of three regions to be selected by central government to progress negotiations for a City and Regional Deal that will help unlock our sub-region’s full potential and improve liveability.

The City and Regional Deal framework is based on a 30-year vision, with negotiated 10-year strategic plans to deliver the shared priorities agreed to.

Why a Regional Deal?

The Western Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions but growth comes with challenges.

• The intent of the Regional Deal is to help unlock our sub-region’s full potential and address the needs of significant and ongoing population growth.
• The Regional Deal will help improve liveability in the sub-region – creating opportunities for economic growth, jobs, new housing and better, connected infrastructure across the subregion.
• With the MOU signed, we are now working with central government to negotiate the terms of the Regional Deal.
• Our sub-region is ready with well-developed plans, strong alignment across all levels of government, and a proactive, solutions-focused approach to unlocking growth.
• This alignment comes from the sub-region's SmartGrowth initiative, a growth management strategy for the sub-region that has had input from each of the local authorities and tāngata whenua.

How will the Regional Deal work?

The Western Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing regions but growth comes with challenges. The intent of our Regional Deal is to help create opportunities for economic growth, jobs, new housing, and better, connected infrastructure across the region.

A Regional Deal would give our sub-region access to a long-term partnership with central government to tackle the real issues. It would provide an economic growth plan that has rigour, certainty and commitment, along with access to new funding and financing tools to manage growth and maintain liveability.

What’s in it for the people of the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region?

We hope to achieve:

• Enable the delivery of up to 40,000 homes
• Support the creation of 35,000 jobs
• Unlock new industrial land
• Deliver real GDP growth of 4.6% per year.

A Regional Deal would improve life in the Western Bay by:

• Delivering more housing, and improving affordability
• Attracting new businesses and investment
• Improving regional transport connectivity
• Supporting wage growth and job opportunities
• Improving access to education, health care and other essential services
• Unlocking new funding and financing tools to manage growth and maintain liveability
• Giving certainty: certainty drives confidence, confidence drives investment.

Working together with a long-term plan in play

A regional deal will give us access to:

• A partnership with central government to tackle the real issues and manage growth
• An economic growth plan that has rigour, certainty and commitment
• Long-term certainty for strong partnerships.