8 | Ruakura Superhub Sue Russell Superhub a massive boost for region The Ruakura Superhub will grow in time to be a 30-hectare inland port, fed directly by the East Coast main-trunk line connecting Waikato to the Bay of Plenty, and to the recently completed Waikato Expressway linking with Auckland to the north. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Our family business is proud to be working in partnership with Tainui Group Holdings to develop a 1.6-hectare service centre at the Ruakura Superhub. The flagship site will include a Waitomo Fuel Stop with alternative energy options including hydrogen refueling and EV charging stations, as well as truck refueling lanes. A touch-free carwash, two quick-service restaurants, a café and a convenience store will round out our offerings. Whatever your fuel needs, Waitomo can help. As well as supplying petrol and diesel, we offer bulk fuel supply, onsite diesel supply and fuel storage solutions. Seventy-five years on, our values remain the same – great people, top performance and a fairer price for fuel. Give the Waitomo team a call to discuss your fuel needs today. One hundred percent Kiwi-owned and operated, Waitomo has been fueling Kiwi businesses across the country for 75 years. 0800 922 123 | WAITOMOGROUP.CO.NZ PROUDLY PART OF THE RUAKURA SUPERHUB STORY As a local and specialist geotechnical consultancy, we pride ourselves on becoming immersed in our clients’ projects - taking ownership of geotechnical issues and delivering practical solutions. Our expertise and services include: • Investigation, instrumentation, ground modelling and reporting • Geotechnical analysis and design • Value engineering and geotechnical peer review • Construction support Great people | Practical solutions Find out more: www.cmwgeosciences.com In September, the first stage of the Ruakura Superhub, a massive project full of promise in Hamilton’s eastern quarter, opened for business. At 92-hectares, the first stage of the Tainui Group Holdings’ (TGH) development, includes 9-hectares of what will grow in time to be a 30-hectare inland port, fed directly by the East Coast main-trunk line connecting Waikato to the Bay of Plenty, and to the recently completed Waikato Expressway linking with Auckland to the north. For Hamilton-East MP, Jamie Strange, the opening of the first stage heralds in a new era of economic growth for the city and region. His connection to Ruakura Superhub stems back several years though. “When I was elected to Government in 2017 one of the first organisations that contacted me, and invited me to sit around their board table, was Tainui Group Holdings. “Their CEO, Chris Joblin, was keen for me to learn, as a resident and Member of Parliament what their vision for the land was and the promise it held to bring prosperity and development,” Jamie explains. Chris and Jamie systematically worked to raise the profile of the project, inviting Ministers across a range of portfolios to visit and learn more about what was planned. With so many demands from all over the country to tap into Provincial Growth Funding, Jamie acknowledges there was a time when he felt the Superhub might well be overlooked. “I remember sitting in the basement of the Beehive with Chris Joblin and Brian Croad, after having lobbied another Minister. At that time we were unsure regarding the potential of Government funding. However, a few months later we were both relieved and excited when the Provincial Growth Fund decided to invest in this project.” Describing it as the perfect location for an inland port, commercial and industrial precinct and eventually a housing development, which will one day be home to several thousand residents, Jamie knows Ruakura Superhub is going to bring massive benefits to business and to people. When completed stage one will include a 35 hectare logistics hub, 25 hectare of industrial space, a 10 hectare wetland and a cluster of local roads. And to prove that every challenge also throws up opportunities, Jamie says that when Covid came along, suddenly big retailers in other regions, found themselves short of space to process the avalanche of on-line shopping orders. Some of these companies looked toward the Waikato and the Superhub as a place to build large-scale warehousing and retail facilities, giving the project another big boost. In all, Government has invested $56.8mil-
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