September 2023 - Bay of Plenty Business News

8 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS September 2023
Rangiuru Business Park: bridging
the gap
The
Rangiuru Business Park is set to be a modern, future-focused, and high-quality industrial business park
that supports the liveability and prosperity of the people and the region for generations to come.
Nestled in the heart of the Bay,
within the ‘Golden Triangle’, it
is conveniently located 30kms
from the Port of Tauranga, connected
by road, rail and sea.
It boasts 148 hectares of consented
industrial land, to be developed over
four stages. Bulk infrastructure to
service the Park began in 2022, with
major works underway including
earthworks, civil, wastewater rising
main to Te Puke, water reservoirs, a
stormwater pond, power, fibre connectivity
and upgrades to nearby
roads.
These works will service the Park
and also provide futureproofing to the
area for continued regional growth.
Right on the doorstep is the
Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road
(TELTR), to be connected by a motorway
interchange which commenced
in October 2022.
In late August 2023, the development
hit another significant milestone,
with the installation of eight
large beams, each 33.1m in length and
weighing approximately 65T, fixed
onto columns straddling the TELTR.
This is a key piece of infrastructure
that will link the Park to the
motorway and the wider region – a
visual signifier of the notable progress
for the project.
The interchange is expected to be
open in late 2024.
As the lead developer for the Rangiuru
Business Park, Quayside has
owned and funded this approximately
$60M interchange build to date, following
an initial $18M contribution
from the Provincial Growth Fund
(PGF) in 2020. This provided the seed
capital to start the motorway interchange,
a vital piece of infrastructure
and considerable investment into the
region.
“The overall vision for the Park
will contribute significantly to the
region. As such, we have invested
heavily into infrastructure, such as the
interchange, which will have longterm
regional benefits for our rohe”
says Lyndon Settle, Quayside CEO.
Recent studies have shown that
industrial land is constrained in
the BOP, with Tauriko and Mount
Maunganui at capacity, new sites are
needed to cater for the expected longterm
future growth of the region.
“The Western Bay of Plenty is a
popular place for businesses to locate
themselves, and we have seen strong
growth in our local business community
in recent years.
“Industrial land is sought after to
meet future demand and to provide
additional choice for developers and
businesses. The location of Rangiuru
means it is well served to cater
to demand on the Eastern side of our
city,” says Priority One chief executive
Nigel Tutt.
Once completed the Park will
provide up to an estimated 4,000 permanent,
full-time employment opportunities
in the region, in addition to
the 200 jobs per year created during
construction stages.
Quayside Holdings CEO, Lyndon Settle at Rangiuru
Business Park motorway interchange. Photo/Supplied.
Quayside Holdings GM Property,
Michael Jefferies says “This development
meets the shortfall in high-quality
industrial land close to the Port of
Tauranga. The proximity and established
multimodal transport links
providing wider regional accessibility
between Tauranga, Whakatāne,
Te Puke, Kawerau and Rotorua offer
huge opportunities”.
The Park is being developed in
consideration and support of regional
growth strategies (SmartGrowth,
Future Development Strategy, Tauranga
Transport Plan, Tauranga Urban
Strategy, Bay of Connections Growth
Strategy, UFTI, etc), in addition to the
needs of local businesses, expanding
communities.
Lyndon Settle, Quayside CEO
said, “The role of Central Government
investment into our region’s
core infrastructure, plays a critical
role in unlocking the Bay of Plenty’s
economic potential.
“ Quayside is responsible for
growing a diversified fund that generates
long-term returns that support
the prosperity of the BOP. Rangiuru
Business Park will play an important
role in enabling economic growth
across this region.”
The Rangiuru Business Park is
majority-owned by Quayside Properties
Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Quayside Holdings Limited,
the investment arm of Toi Moana Bay
of Plenty Regional Council.
ADVERTORIAL
People and technology key to
helping NZ businesses thrive
Latest 2degrees study conducted by Perceptive, reveals
the key issues facing NZ business decision makers, and
how thriving companies are weathering the storm.
Good news – businesses
say they are seeing ‘green
shoots’ and are optimistic
about the year ahead.
2degrees surveyed 700 business
decision makers nationwide as part
of it’s Shaping Business Study, now
in its fourth year, and found business
is shifting focus completely
away from the pandemic and
towards managing rising costs and
improving productivity.
Andrew Fairgray, Chief Business
Officer at 2degrees, says this
year’s report doesn’t feature any
regional trends. “Interestingly,
businesses across the regions are
reporting the same things – which
is a marked change from previous
years where business sentiment
varied by region.”
Bay of Plenty businesses, and
their counterparts nationwide, said:
• Business optimism continues to
trend slightly upward despite the
recessionary pressure.
• Cost and pricing continues to
be front of mind for business
leaders.
• Larger businesses continue to
thrive while smaller businesses
are more likely to be struggling.
• Staff and productive use of technology
are the make or break for
businesses in 2023.
The report, revealed that 87%
of businesses have seen their running
costs increase in the past
twelve months, yet only 63% had
increased their prices over the same
time, suggesting that many businesses
are having to absorb inflationary
impacts.
Fairgray says the report shows
that while the pandemic may be in
the rearview, the business outlook
is still filled with challenges.
“This is the second straight year
that we’re seeing cost increases
across the board for businesses, but
the impacts of that aren’t being felt
equally.
“What we see in the market and
in this report is that the businesses
who can thrive in this environment
are those who can find innovative
ways to increase productivity,
whether that’s through attracting
and retaining great staff or making
more effective use of digital tools.”
As the economy gets to grips
with a new set of challenges, businesses
are moving from just getting
by to a more measured outlook.
This year, the number of business
leaders who said they were surviving
(just getting by) dropped by 6
percentage points to 23%, while
most businesses (53%) said they
were reviving (getting things back
on track), and 17% said they were
thriving (stronger than we have
ever been), up from 14% last year.
Other measures of optimism
and outlook have stayed consistent
Andrew Fairgray, Chief Business Officer, 2degrees
from last year, as business leaders
acclimatise to the new normal. 41%
of business leaders said they were
feeling about as optimistic as they
were last year, with nearly a third
(32%) feeling more optimistic than
in 2022. Half of businesses anticipated
that their revenue would
grow in the next year, a steady
result from the 2022 study.
The study shows that effective
use of technology is one of
the best predictors of business
success. Businesses use of digital
technology to improve productivity
aligned directly with their reported
performance with 76% of thriving
businesses saying digital technology
improves their productivity,
compared to only half (50%) of surviving
businesses saying the same.
Fairgray says the report paints
a picture for businesses looking to
get ahead.
“In this inflationary environment,
the best way for businesses
to move the dial is to increase their
productivity and deliver more value
with the resources they have.
“Attracting and holding onto the
best staff will be top of the list for
most businesses, and making sure
that modern technology tools are
reducing friction and adding value
shouldn’t be far behind.
“The combination of these two
factors will be how businesses can
set themselves apart and thrive long
term.”
2degrees.nz/business/
shaping-business-study