The heart of the city is transforming into a vibrant community space, following extensive community engagement in June 2022. We are committed to developing the civic precinct that will breathe new life into what will become a key cultural, heritage and economic driver for the region.
Te Manawataki o Te Papa, the heartbeat of Te Papa, will feature a library and community hub, civic whare (public meeting house), museum, and an exhibition gallery. Upgrades to the iconic Baycourt Community and Art Centre and Tauranga Art Gallery are also part of the redevelopment programme, complemented by extensive beautification and landscaping of the area to create a space for shared storytelling, cultural connection, and community engagement.
Initial concept design video
Designing a place for people
The civic precinct will be an inclusive space for our entire community and will create a legacy for future generations, not only for the community space it will provide, but also the footprint it will leave. We have committed to putting sustainability at the forefront of design, targeting a 6 Green Star rating which reflects world leadership in sustainability. To achieve that aspiration, a mass timber hybrid structure has been adopted to minimise the buildings’ carbon impact and help create a better environment for our future.
Mātauranga Māori design influence is shining through in the structures, with the project team working closely with mana whenua to develop a series of cultural design outcomes, which will feature across the civic precinct and help tell the story of the city’s rich past to all those who visit.
Tauranga Civic Masterplan refreshed (7.8mb pdf)
Far reaching benefits
In July 2023, the Te Manawataki o Te Papa business case was presented to Council which illustrates a city that is thriving, beating and vibrant, that celebrates our diverse culture and heritage, and welcomes people from near and far.
Te Manawataki o Te Papa will foster widespread benefits reaching out to the region and offering a city centre that celebrates and reflects the unique cultural heritage of Tauranga.
Projections indicate that as early as 2035, our new civic precinct could see triple the number of people visiting our city centre, with visits to the new civic precinct averaging 5,500 people a day.
Economists have also predicted that over the lifetime of the development, the civic precinct will significantly contribute to city centre GDP and deliver wider economic benefits, generating up to more than $1 billion in estimated quantified benefits over the next 60 years.
Te Manawataki o Te Papa could also see thousands more people moving into homes built in and around the city centre, and hundreds more businesses opening in the central and inner area of the city, adding to the vibrancy of the city centre.
For more details on the benefits of Te Manawataki o Te Papa, please read the Business Case.
Te Manawataki o Te Papa Business Case - 25 July 2023 (5.34mb pdf)