Involvement at Ruakura continues across all our core disciplines as the development progresses.

Ruakura Superhub is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest integrated commercial developments, equivalent to the size of Auckland’s CBD. Located at the nexus of the golden triangle between Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga, the Superhub is anchored by a 30ha inland port and will include a 167ha logistics and industrial park, 5ha retail and service centre, 50ha green space network of swales, wetlands and reserves, and approximately 3,000 residential homes.

Boffa Miskell has been assisting Tainui Group Holdings (TGH), Waikato Tainui’s commercial arm, at Ruakura since 2007. At this time, we helped facilitate a charette to define a master planning methodology and strategic planning approach to rezone the land and establish a new planning framework to enable the vision. A significant body of master planning, commercial feasibility, and technical work ensued, ultimately leading to the lodgement of a private plan change request to rezone 389ha of land at Ruakura.

Boffa Miskell had a lead role in assisting TGH with initial scoping and feasibility assessments, development of the conceptual master and subsequent structure plans, and strategic planning advice. Our consultants led the preparation of the private plan change application and co-ordinated evidence from more than 20 expert witnesses, including statutory planning, landscape planning, ecology and urban design evidence by Boffa Miskell. Our team also played a central role in the Board of Inquiry hearing itself, presenting evidence to the Board of Inquiry throughout the intensive process across a range of our areas of expertise.

Location

Waikato

Worked with

Beca
Bloxam Burnett & Olliver
Chow Hill Architects
CMW Geosciences
Ellis Gould
Harrison Grierson
Jim Milne (Barrister)
Marshall Day Acoustics
Peter Hall Planning
Pragmatix
Stantec
Styles Group
Tonkin & Taylor
WSP

Project date

2007 - 2022

In June 2013, the plan change request was lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) who in turn recommended to the Minister for the Environment that the project met the criteria as a project of national significance. The Minister then referred the project to an independent Board of Inquiry and the application was publicly notified in November 2013. The plan change was eventually approved in June 2014 and adopted in the Hamilton City District Plan in December 2014.

TGH’s private plan change was then followed by a Council led plan change for the entire 822ha structure plan area at Ruakura, being notified in November 2015. Following further submissions and hearings, Independent Commissioner’s approved the plan change in November 2016 and following settlement of appeals the plan change became operative late in 2017.

More recently, our planners have successfully obtained a range of resource consents to enable land development, establishment of strategic infrastructure, land use activities, and regional consents. These resource consent applications have been supported by the technical work of our landscape architects and ecologists. Our involvement and partnership with TGH at Ruakura continues to this day across all our core disciplines with a range of different workstreams as the development progresses.

The plan changes resulted in the successful rezoning of the land and establishment of a new bespoke planning framework for future development at Ruakura. Boffa Miskell’s expertise and sustained effort has been instrumental in realising the vision for Ruakura and reflects the intergenerational thinking of Waikato-Tainui iwi and its desire to hold and develop its own whenua.

The official opening of the Ruakura Superhub in September 2022 is a landmark juncture for the Waikato-Tainui iwi, and heralds a stronger economic future for the Waikato region and country. Boffa Miskell is extremely proud of our role in unlocking this development potential and subsequent betterment for current and future generations of Waikato-Tainui.

Our role involved scoping and feasibility assessments, development of the conceptual master and subsequent structure plans, and strategic planning advice.

View 'Ruakura Superhub August 2022' video on YouTube