Notifications

Tauranga City Council would like to hear the public’s feedback on its proposal to long-term lease an area of open space land at Northern Sulphur Point. The long-term lease would enable the University of Waikato to establish a purpose-built Marine Research and Educational Facility. Consultation is open until 5pm on Friday, 9 March 2018.

What does a marine research and educational facility mean for our city?

• The proposed research centre would be distinctive to New Zealand and create the capacity to attract and host national and international collaborations and research programmes.
• It would expand the capability to protect Tauranga’s and New Zealand’s marine environment by providing opportunities and solutions to key issues for the Bay of Plenty coastal and marine environments.
• By providing tertiary education opportunities unique to New Zealand, the centre would help keep more young people in the area by enabling them to study courses unique to New Zealand.
• The facility would put Tauranga on the map as a home of world-class research specialised in marine research, biotech and engineering, and tertiary education. 

About Council’s proposal to long-term lease

• The area of open space land located at the southern end of Northern Sulphur Point, is approximately 5,600m² - see map for details.
• The land is zoned Active Open Space under the City Plan. It is mainly undeveloped green space, used for marine activities, occasionally events and overflow car parking. The public can currently access and use this area.

Tauranga’s residents are invited to go to tauranga.govt.nz/marinefacility to find out more about the proposed marine facility and Council’s proposal and make a submission by Friday, 9 March, 5pm.

Paper copies of the submission form are available in local libraries (Tauranga CBD, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa and Greerton) and at the customer service centre at 91 Willow Street.