Nearly $1 billion in Tauranga building consents issued in 2021

Mount Pack & Cool has completed its stage four expansion in Tauriko Business Estate. Photo / Supplied

Nearly $1 billion worth of building consents were issued in Tauranga last year in what's been described as "rebound" after the uncertainty of 2020.

The 2290 residential and commercial building consents worth just over $997 million were issued between January and November 2021, according to Tauranga City Council records. December figures were yet to be released.

This compared to $750m worth of building consents issued in 2020.

Council building services manager Steve Pearce said the total value of consented building work will break the $1b mark in 2021.

Pearce said residential building consent values had increased relatively consistently in the past few years despite a significant drop in 2020 presumably due to Covid-19 lockdowns and uncertainty.

"However, this year has seen a rebound in values, in part driven by a few large projects consented, including the new Winstone Wallboards factory in Tauriko.

"Consent volumes continue to be at some of the highest levels we've experienced, and we expect to continue to follow that trend next year."

Consents valued at $39m and $105m for stage 1 and 2 of the total $400m plasterboard manufacturing and distribution facility in Tauriko Business Estate were among those issued.

A spokesperson for Fletcher Building, which announced last year its Auckland-based Winstone Wallboards facility was moving to Tauranga, said it was on track to open by June next year.

"The building structure for the mill and formulation tower, gypsum storage shed and main building, which will be the size of six rugby fields is already well advanced.

"Our state-of-the-art manufacturing technology has started to arrive in Tauranga with installation already under way."

Winstone Wallboards project engineer Hannah Orchard pictured at the construction site in Tauriko in October 2021. Photo / George Novak

The company was also well into its recruitment campaign to fill up to 100 new jobs in Tauranga.

It would also be contracting other ancillary services from Tauranga "so there will be wide-ranging economic benefits for the area".

More than 130 construction workers were on the site - a number expected to peak at 300 later this year.

The spokesperson said the focus for 2022 was to complete the building and infrastructure work in parallel with the installation of the plant equipment.

Dry commissioning of the equipment will start towards the end of the year, along with on-site training in preparation for the first trial production runs in early 2023.

A consent valued at $39m was also issued for Summerset by the Dunes' new main building at 22 Manawa Rd. Photo / Supplied

Another major consent was one worth $39m for Summerset by the Dunes' new main building at 22 Manawa Rd. The Pāpāmoa retirement village project will include 56 serviced apartments, 43 care beds and 20 dementia beds.

Summerset project manager Steve Wood said the construction team had completed the inground services for the $40m main building.

"The three-level main building will be the heart of the village once complete and will include a care centre, memory care for people living with dementia, a swimming pool, gym, café, plus bowling and petanque facilities."

Wood said about 40 people were working on the main building and 30 more were building the village's 211 villas.

"We have just over 40 construction staff and contractors working on the main building and another 30 building more of the village's 211 villas."

Numbers on-site were expected to hit about 200 this year.

Wood said completion of the building was on track for late 2023.

Summerset general manager of construction, Dean Tallentire, said the main building will include a cafe open to the public.

A $12m consent was also issued for stage 2 of a new residential care facility at Pacific Coast Village on Maranui St.

Generus Living Group director Graham Wilkinson said the new Mangatawa Hospital was well under way with the floor slab poured and first-level walls being erected.

"We lost some time with the Covid lockdown but contractors C3 are back into it strongly and it is expected to be complete in the first half of 2023, provided no further delays are experienced."

The hospital will include 57 care suites for residents from Pacific Coast Village and its sister site Pacific Lakes Village on Grenada St.

A $12m consent was also issued for stage 2 of a new residential care facility at Pacific Coast Village on Maranui St. Photo / Supplied

Wilkinson said the facility will create employment opportunities, including for nurses, health care assistants, diversional therapists, hospitality workers and other health experts.

It intends to also offer training and opportunities to Mangatawa shareholders within the aged care field, he said.

In the Pacific Lakes Village, Wilkinson said100 homes had been built with another 40 homes under construction.

The first of this village's community facilities, The Lake House, will open early next year.

Wilkinson expected The Pavilion, including a main hall, cafe and restaurant, lounge bar, hospitality terrace, hydrotherapy pool, and cardio studio to likely be one of the largest building consents granted in the Bay when applied for mid-next year.

Meanwhile, Mount Pack & Cool has completed its stage 4 expansion in Tauriko Business Estate.

The expansion included a new packhouse fitted with a state-of-the-art packing line and bin curing room, 17 controlled atmosphere stores and four cool stores and plans to employ 600 people.

The investment gave the business capacity to handle 24 million trays of Class 1 kiwifruit across its total site.

The kiwifruit industry's export growth and demand for the gold variety also drove Mount Pack & Cool's plans for a new packhouse purpose-built for gold kiwifruit, expected to be ready to start packing for growers in March.

Managing director Brendon Lee. Photo / Supplied

Managing director Brendon Lee said Form NZ was contracted to manage stage 4 of the project and overcame logistical challenges and supply chain bottlenecks.

"We had this project locked in 12 months earlier than companies like ours normally do and we're so pleased we did."

Construction began at its 6.5-hectare site in 2017. It started operating in May 2018 with a 23,000sq m custom-designed bin curing room and packhouse, 10 cool stores, six pre-coolers and eight controlled atmosphere stores.

In May 2020, it finished stage 3 with an extra nine cool stores and six pre-coolers.

By the end of stage 4, the company would have completed 54,000sq m of building construction involving local contractors over five years.

Mount Pack & Cool has completed its stage four expansion in Tauriko Business Estate. Photo / Supplied