Oyster Capital director Cameron Wilson with Dempsey Wood project engineer Amala Jain at the Spedding Industrial development.
Oyster Capital director Cameron Wilson with Dempsey Wood project engineer Amala Jain at the Spedding Industrial development.
When complete, Oyster Capital’s Spedding Rd industrial site at Whenuapai will be the largest industrial development north of Auckland airport and part of a major growth hub in the city’s northwest.
Cameron Wilson, a director of Oyster Capital, says the project remains on track for completion in July.
“The scope increased when we added a couple of internal roads to enhance the project, but we are still definitely on time. We may even be running a little ahead of schedule. The construction season has been kind to us with dry weather letting us get on with the work programme.”
One key aspect of Spedding Rd is its size, which allows for large sites rarely available in the Auckland region. Wilson says this means it has proved popular with expanding businesses that need to upscale their existing premises.
Two of the large lots have been sold to PFI (Property for Industry). “They have taken advantage of the scale and have a large pool of clients they will be working with.
“We also have CDB coming in as an owner-occupier. It currently occupies one of the best buildings in Albany.
“They’ve outgrown the existing site and need more space. Each time they’ve moved, they upgraded to a better, more technically advanced building.”
CDB group managing director Mark Rice says the business was looking for new premises in the north or northwest of Auckland after being in Albany for close to 25 years.
“We needed increased capacity and wanted a site convenient to both our team and transport providers.”
The firm’s Spedding site is around 2ha and will have a finished floor area of approximately 18,000sq m including warehouse, breezeway, mezzanines, and office spaces.
Rice says he was drawn to the site by its proximity to the motorway network: “Especially to the port and our freight network. It’s also a reasonable location for most of our staff.
“The site allows us to build a brand new, state of the art facility in a very desirable location in the northwest of Auckland.”
Others already committed include advanced manufacturing companies, some of which will become owner-occupiers. “Most of the owner-occupiers that have bought so far appear to be on the 3.0 version of their building, where they expanded as much as they could at their current location. They are taking the opportunity to enhance their building.
“In many cases, that means incorporating modern green features and updated technology”.
Wilson says sustainability and green credentials are essential components for companies looking for new premises and expects all the developments on the site to have significant levels of green certification.
To underscore this, Oyster committed to preserving the natural wetlands in the immediate area.
There are 5.3ha of riparian planting along Sinton Stream and Totara Creek. This is in addition to 7488sq m of existing natural wetlands that is being retained and planted with fresh native vegetation.
At the time of writing 37% of the lots remain available for sale. There are still some large lots including a 3ha block. Wilson anticipates there will be a wide variety of users which means a range of employment opportunities at a variety of levels.
It’s too soon to estimate the number of jobs Spedding will create; that will only become clear once the remaining lots are purchased and developed. However, he anticipates the precinct will make a significant contribution to the 32,000 new roles across industrial, commercial, retail and other sectors that are projected to be created in the wider catchment area between now and 2038.
Wilson says the economic slowdown has not dampened demand for sites. He says if he had known about the current conditions in advance, he might have been concerned, but in the event those fears would have been unfounded.
“We’ve had an extraordinary take-up. Not just in the number of sales, but the pricing has been strong too. This reflects the lack of opportunity in the industrial space and the site’s connectivity. Given the economic environment, it has gone well. There are still industries showing significant growth.”
Its strategic location is a key advantage in today’s market. Spedding sits near the junction of State Highways 16 and 18.
Infrastructure improvements in recent years, especially the upgrade and extension to the Upper Harbour Motorway, the expansion of the Northwestern motorway and the completion of Waterview Tunnel, means traffic to and from the site can avoid the bottlenecks at the Harbour Bridge and Spaghetti junction.
Brigham Creek Road Bridge construction and Spedding Industrial development.
Access to the city and South Auckland’s industrial areas is straightforward; reaching outer areas is easy. The site is five minutes from Westgate town centre and 14 minutes to central Auckland. Takapuna and Albany are 15 minutes away.
Wilson says Oyster Capital’s nearby residential development in Whenuapai, completed in 2023, complements the site.
It includes 1000 households, but other residential projects in the area mean there are employment opportunities for people who will not need to travel long distances.
The houses are a mixture of sizes. “There’s everything from one- and two-bedroom properties up to standalone houses.”
Wilson says aside from its location, the area is set to become Auckland’s next growth centre due to its scalability and proximity to a growing population.
The Northwest has been identified by planners as the next industrial and employment hub for over a decade now and was earmarked by the, now defunct, Waitākere Council for development before that.
The site is well-positioned to service the growth around Red Hill, Westgate, West Harbour and Hobsonville.
“We’ve known about this area for well over a decade now. It’s been our main focus for that time and we are doing our best to create a modern environment to make it happen”.
Oyster is now completing the site’s nine critical infrastructure upgrades, an investment of around $56 million, that are in or around the precinct.
They are all due to complete by June and that includes capacity improvements to the existing roundabout where State Highway 16 meets State Highway 18.
Elsewhere the developer is replacing the existing bridge on Brigham Creek Rd, that is due for completion in March or April. There are road extensions, carriageway upgrades and phased signals to ease the flow of traffic in what will soon be a busy network of roads.
Also under way is a new pedestrian and cycle link between Trig Rd and the development.
The roading upgrades will include a new through route linking the two motorways. Wilson expects this to relieve some of the transport challenges in that part of West Auckland.
