| 21 T T Karen Phelps Eco-park venture sign of the future For businesses seeking a central North Island base with sustainable credentials, He Ahi is positioned between State Highways 1 and 5. He Ahi Partnership “We want to make something our mokopuna will be proud of and demonstrate that you can have a business venture that is a commercial success while protecting our environment and cultural integrity.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A groundbreaking eco-business park in the heart of the central North Island is redefining what industrial development can look like. He Ahi Eco-Business Park, located on Rakaunui Road in Tauhara, Taupō, is the first Māori-owned eco-business park in New Zealand. Owned by Te Pae o Waimihia Trust and set against the dramatic backdrop of Mt Tauhara, it is already attracting significant interest from businesses looking to operate sustainably without compromising on com‑ mercial viability. “We are generational thinkers and we make plans for the long term,” says Mel Henry, Gen‑ eral Manager for Te Pae o Waimihia Trust. “We want to make something our mokopu‑ na will be proud of and demonstrate that you can have a business venture that is a commer‑ cial success while protecting our environment and cultural integrity. They don’t have to exclude each other.” Stage 1 and 5 of the park is now complete, with roading, stormwater infrastructure and landscaping all finished for Stage One. Lots are currently available for sale through Bay‑ leys Taupō and Lyons Asset Brokerage, Taupo, with titles due mid-2026. In total, when fully developed, He Ahi will offer 42 sites ranging in size from 3,000sqm to 1.8 hectares, with a further five sites available outside the park through land sales. For businesses seeking a central North Is‑ land base with sustainable credentials, He Ahi is positioned between State Highways 1 and 5, roughly six kilometres from Taupō’s CBD, and within reach of all major cities and ports. Mel says that one of the park’s most distinc‑ tive features is its partnership with Contact Energy, giving tenants access to geothermal heat drawn from the world-class Tauhara Geo‑ thermal Field. By clustering heat users together, He Ahi allows small and medium-sized businesses to tap into low-carbon, renewable energy at com‑ petitive prices without needing to drill their own geothermal wells. “Especially when businesses are transition‑ ing away from gas due to high costs, this is a real advantage,” says Mel. “The park has 18 sites within its Ruaumoko Precinct where geothermal heat supply is available.” Already operating within the park is TNUE (Total Nutrient Use Efficiency) a company using geothermal heat to treat fertiliser in a carbon-neutral warehouse. TNUE’s technology customises fertiliser delivery to improve nutrient efficiency, re‑ ducing greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching in the process. Mel says it represents exactly the kind of tenant He Ahi is seeking. There has been a lot of interest in the lots for sale,” she says. “Our values and aspirations for the park are important, so we are ensuring the tenants we will have want to leverage geothermal energy and are aware of our sustainability standards. We are looking for businesses that are sus‑ tainability focused.” All tenants work with He Ahi’s team of engineers, architects and builders to create fit-for-purpose, eco-friendly buildings from the ground up. Mel says the design philosophy is intention‑ ally minimalist, reducing materials and using space cleverly. Every build is guided by the concept of the quadruple bottom line and the International Framework for Eco-Industrial Parks. She says environmental stewardship is em‑ bedded into every aspect of He Ahi’s design. More than 20,000 trees have been planted across the development, and a world-class stormwater management system has been engineered to protect the adjacent He Tipu wetlands and local waterways. Walkways and wetlands wind through the park, offering views of the mountains and native plantings, with exposed geothermal infrastructure adding a striking industrial character unique to the Taupō region. She says Tauhara land holds deep signif‑ icance to the hapū of Te Pae o Waimihia, and those values are central to how the park operates. Adjacent to He Ahi sits He Tipu, a 20-hec‑ tare conservation reserve encompass‑ ing a native plant nursery, wetlands and food-growing crops, which Mel says is a living example of how industry and environment can coexist. HE AHI PARTNERSHIP From concept to completion. Property projects, managed with clarity Supporting iwi, Māori trusts, local councils, government, private developers and landowners. Development Management Project & Construction Delivery Property Management +64 21 671 223 marcus@orchestraproperty.co.nz orchestraproperty.co.nz As proud partners of He Ahi Partnership, Strata Group delivered the civil engineering design for the He Ahi Clean Energy Park. We look forward to watching this landmark project ourish.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=