Administrators of the three local funding organisations that backed its build - TECT, Baytrust and the Acorn Foundation - are housed in the $10 million hub, as are 22 other organisations with 64 people between them. Another 65 organisations regularly use the building's office rooms and other facilities.
"We've seen fantastic collaboration between organisations, which has resulted in great results for clients," Lockhart said.
The Kollective came about as a shared workspace for not-for-profit organisations trying to operate with funding that did not always cover operational costs such as power or rent.
Leases were priced between $30 a day and $500 a month for resident members.
The building has open-plan floors which have desks for 135 people, as well as meeting rooms, kitchens and conversation pods upholstered with acoustically-treated fabric.
Lockhart said The Kollective team liked to refer to their mission of working collaboratively as "generating massive social gain".
Lockhart said he believed there were no other community houses that matched The Kollective's capacity. Getting Dame Patsy to mark the building's official opening was particularly special, he said.
"Given the gravitas of what we are trying to do here, it was important to get the right person to do it.
"You hear people's perceptions of Tauranga being this old, conservative town, rightly or wrongly, but we have the biggest collaborative space dedicated to community good and services. That's something that should be celebrated."
TECT general manager Wayne Werder said The Kollective had been a collaborative exercise from the beginning, which added complexity "but it was the right thing to do".
"It was always about bringing community groups together and the ability to share some of the background costs but also to engage with and work together with each other."
Werder said there was a life and vibrancy to the building now, which was rewarding.
