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May 2021 - Bay of Plenty Business News

From mid-2016 Bay of Plenty businesses have a new voice, Bay of Plenty Business News. This new publication reflects the region’s growth and importance as part of the wider central North Island economy.

From mid-2016 Bay of Plenty businesses have a new voice, Bay of Plenty Business News. This new publication reflects the region’s growth and importance as part of the wider central North Island economy.

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12 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS <strong>May</strong> <strong>2021</strong> COVER STORY – marine precinct<br />

Is it time to reset the<br />

Marine Precinct?<br />

By DAVID PORTER<br />

Tauranga’s Marine Precinct has seen<br />

more than its share <strong>of</strong> ups and downs<br />

since it was first conceived and then formally<br />

launched in mid-2018.<br />

Even obtaining full clearances for successful<br />

tenderers to proceed with erecting their<br />

planned sheds has proven problematic since<br />

the inception <strong>of</strong> the ambitious project.<br />

The Precinct has retained the Vessel Works<br />

title to run its hard stand, utilising its 350<br />

tonne travel hoist Hikinui, which been active<br />

in bringing sundry <strong>of</strong> vessels <strong>of</strong> varying sizes<br />

up from the harbour for refit work by the half<br />

a dozen companies that have set up operations<br />

in the Marine Precinct.<br />

Phil Wardale, who played a large part in<br />

conceiving the Marine Precinct, has since<br />

moved to Whakatane where he is playing a<br />

similar role in opening a marine precinct in<br />

the Eastern <strong>Bay</strong>.<br />

New manager in charge<br />

His role as director-marine precinct has been<br />

taken by Dave Withington who reports to Paul<br />

Davidson, GM corporate services. Davidson<br />

told <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Plenty</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>News</strong> that, now<br />

the precinct was running reasonably smoothly,<br />

it was time for a reset <strong>of</strong> the operations.<br />

“We’ve focused on the vessel works component<br />

at the start <strong>of</strong> that,” Davidson said.<br />

“Operations have been going for a while now<br />

and we want to reset.”<br />

The Marine Precinct was the site <strong>of</strong> a major<br />

meeting <strong>of</strong> most <strong>of</strong> the stakeholders in late<br />

March, and according to Davison, things were<br />

proceeding well, though some at the meeting<br />

held different views.<br />

We talk to the stakeholders<br />

and we understand what<br />

they want. But we need to<br />

get a more aligned strategy<br />

going forward.”<br />

– Paul Davidson<br />

“We talk to the stakeholders and we understand<br />

what they want,” he said.<br />

“But we need to get a more aligned strategy<br />

going forward.”<br />

Davidson said they hoped to finish the<br />

other part <strong>of</strong> the reset for the Marine Precinct<br />

by the end <strong>of</strong> this calendar year.

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