The star of the marine industry conference which opens in Tauranga today, is a building site just round the corner from the conference site at the Trinity Wharf Hotel.

The Tauranga Marine Precinct, under construction on Mirrielees Road, is the very first project to receive payment from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Regional Infrastructure Fund.

Two of the conference speakers this afternoon include Regional Council general manager of strategy Fiona McTavish, and project director Phil Wardale, who will be taking the 100 or so conference delegates on a site visit later today.

At the opening of the conference Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder presented Tauranga City Council with the Regional Infrastructure Fund's first payment towards the development of the Marine Precinct, in the form of a cheque for $1,515,172.20.

It is the very first payment made from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, which is established to support and promote economic development in the Bay of Plenty.

The Marine Precinct is a key strategic development for Tauranga City Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The precinct will create significant opportunities for long-term economic development, business and job creation, and become a hub for the regional marine sector. On this basis the Regional Council selected the project as a fund recipient for a total of $5 million.

Doug says he's looking forward to seeing the expected benefits of the Tauranga Marine Precinct project realised for the local and regional community.

'The Regional Infrastructure Fund can help grow the region's economy through projects like this. By supporting the local marine industry in this way, we can keep and grow jobs here, and attract more talent and investment to the Bay of Plenty,” says Doug.

'This project is a great example of collaboration between councils and we are glad to see good progress made on the construction of the precinct.”

Construction on the Marine Precinct site started in November last year. Since then, civil contractors HEB Construction have completed demolition works, upgraded the stormwater system servicing the new lots and made good progress in preparing the precast concrete elements that will be used to build the hardstand, the new wharf and the vessel hoist loading bay.

In Italy, the precinct's 350 tonne vessel hoist is being built by Cimolai Technologies. Manufacturing of the large steel elements constituting the frame of the largest hoist in the country is well advanced, as is the installation of the electrics and the hydraulic systems. The vessel hoist will be shipped to the Port of Tauranga in containers and assembled at the precinct once the heavy pavement hardstand is ready.

'It's fantastic to see the product of our partnership with Bay of Plenty Regional Council taking shape before our eyes,” says Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless.

'Collaboration between councils and with the private sector is really important to enable positive outcomes across the board.

'I am looking forward to seeing the hardstand built, the vessel hoist in operation and the precinct's marine businesses bringing commercial activity to the city and the region.”

About the Regional Infrastructure Fund

The Regional Infrastructure Fund is allocated through a contestable process to support and promote economic development in the Bay of Plenty. The fund is a commitment made in Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Ten Year Plan 2012-22, and updated through the Long Term Plan 2015-2025.

The Fund provides capital funding to assist in the development of major infrastructure projects that support sustainable regional economic development.

The aim is to help accelerate infrastructure projects, improve outcomes and quality of projects and/or increase the scope of projects.

A total fund of $42.5 million has been fully allocated to for four projects:

• A Harbour Marine Precinct for Tauranga City ($5m);
• An Innovation Centre at Scion's Innovation Park in Rotorua ($2.5m);
• A shared tertiary campus in Tauranga ($15m);
• The Opotiki Harbour Transformation ($20m).

About the Marine Precinct project

The Tauranga Harbour Marine Precinct is an $11.4m project to deliver a purpose-built marine servicing facility at Sulphur Point. The precinct will provide a base for boat building and refit businesses in Tauranga and will be managed by Tauranga City Council under the Vessel Works brand.

By end of 2017 (stage 1 development), the precinct will include lots in a range of sizes for marine businesses, a 6,300m2 hardstand vessel storage area, deep-water marina berths for large vessels and New Zealand's largest vessel hoist at 350-tonne haulage capacity and extra-wide.

Further development will be undertaken in stages, based on demand from the industry.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is the funding partner for the Marine Precinct project, contributing $5 million through the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Tauranga City Council's $6.4 million contribution will be partially offset by the sale of properties on and near the site. For more information see the project website.