Te Rapa offers a Gateway to opportunity

An aerial view of the Te Rapa Gateway development area.

The development of the new Te Rapa Gateway, 60ha of prime industrial land offering more than 90 sites, has unlocked the potential of the emerging Rotokauri industrial area near Hamilton.

Te Rapa Gateway will add to what is one of the country's fastest growing industrial epicentres - situated on SH1 near the Waikato Expressway and the main north-south railway line. A major drawcard is its proximity to The Base, New Zealand's largest retail and leisure centre.

The development, coming on stream in five stages, has attracted excellent interest with 20ha earmarked for completion by July.

Alan Pracy, director of sales and leasing with Colliers International in Hamilton, is marketing the industrial lots with colleague Justin Oliver. Pracy says Te Rapa Gateway industrial park's properties will appeal to a diverse range of businesses.

"Companies which have already established themselves in the immediate area include Mainfreight, NZ Post, Norman's Transport & Storage, farm equipment supplier Lely NZ and the Porter Group," he says.

Michael Clark, of developers Chalmers Properties, says the beauty of a large-scale development of this nature is the flexibility to design-build and lease or just purchase a section. "We have strong covenants in place to ensure only a good mix of high quality businesses will operate in the park, protecting the value of the property."

Zoned Rotokauri industrial under the Hamilton City Council's district plan, Pracy says Te Rapa Gateway industrial park has an approved comprehensive development plan, meaning that industrial activity will require no further consent. "In most cases only a building consent will be needed," says Clark. "It will be developed to the highest standard to ensure the sections are fully serviced and geo-engineered to meet the latest industrial requirements.

"The fully serviced industrial sites will include provision for ultra- fast broadband, power supply of 11kv and prepaid council development contributions to 30 per cent of the gross floor area, making the subdivision a suitable location for all types of processing, manufacturing, bulk storage, warehousing services and repair activities."

Te Rapa Gateway is within 10km of Hamilton's CBD, only 75 minutes from Auckland and 85 minutes from Tauranga. Oliver says the proposed bus and rail links close to the industrial park will be an important feature for businesses and staff alike.

"The Rotokauri planned urban area on the opposite side of the expressway will provide potential future customers for businesses moving to Te Rapa Gateway, as will the expressway from Hamilton to Auckland, due for completion by 2019.

"The Te Rapa area also provides all the amenities available within larger cities but with the benefit of more competitive land prices, cheaper housing and great transport connectivity," says Clark. "The industrial park is close to large residential areas with plentiful skilled labour."

The south precinct and Arthur Porter Drive section of the park were opened in June 2014. The main road through the new industrial subdivision is named after Arthur Porter, who founded the Waikato-based Porter Group in 1945.