Tauranga City councillors appear keen to jump onboard an offer to ensure the city's lasting legacy is marine-related through a partnership with Marine Reach.

The non-profit organisation that runs aid ships including the Pacific Hope, currently undergoing a re-fit in Tauranga, is proposing a closer association with the city.

The MV Pacific Hope is undergoing a refit here in Tauranga.

Council staff will be asked to look further into the offer, made by Marine Reach Asia-Pacific CEO Jesse Misa during a presentation to the community development committee this week.

The relationship could provide a lasting legacy for Tauranga, says Jesse.

'I would like to see the city adopt Marine Reach and the ship, I would like to see a long term partnership with TCC as the ship is a unique tool to reach out to our young people,” says Jesse.

Over the longer term, say 500 years, the relationship with Marine Reach could be what people look back on as Tauranga's contribution to the world, says Jesse.

'Can we visit the ship first?” says Matt Cowley.

Marine Reach gave its ship Pacific Link to the city of Townsville in 2006 says Jesse, a decision that has worked very well for Townsville and the people of Papua New Guinea that the vessel serves.

The offer came after Jesse explained the recent work being undertaken on the former fishing boat Pacific Hope berthed in Tauranga at the former slipway jetty.

Marine Reach vessels are converted into seagoing medical and dentistry centres providing mainly medical aid to the developing world. The Pacific Hope serves mainly the central Pacific island nations; Tonga Fiji Vanuatu.

Marine Reach Ministries are overtly Christian but non-proselytising, says Jesse. The Ministries New Zealand operation has been Tauranga based since 1990. To read more about the Project Hope click here.