Funding for new campus gets A+

TECT is being applauded for its decision to provide $15million funding for a purpose-built tertiary campus in downtown Tauranga.

The campus, to be built in Durham St on land gifted by the Tauranga City Council, will be jointly-funded by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the University of Waikato.


The Durham St carpark, set to become Tauranga's new tertiary campus.

It will be operated by the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership, made up of four tertiary institutions – Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, Waiariki Institute of Technology and the University of Waikato.

The decision was announced during this week's TECT board meeting, where results of a consumer survey show 88 per cent of participants supported funding for the new campus.

BOPTEP Steering Group chair Bill Wasley says the TECT decision shows its commitment to the local community.

'This project has always been driven and supported by the community,” says BIll.

'We are confident it will be hugely beneficial to the region, not just in terms of education but also to the economy.”

A benefit cost analysis report on the project prepared in June by the University of Waikato Management School shows the campus would generate benefits of $188 million during the next 20 years, providing a rate of return of more than 30 per cent on the initial investment.

National's Bay of Plenty candidate Todd Muller is pleased by TECT's announcement, saying it displayed 'true vision”.

Todd feels the campus will make a huge impact on the region by allowing residents to stay in the Bay of Plenty while undertaking tertiary study.

'This will enable many more to stay in their local communities and not have to endure the upheaval of shifting cities to further their education and career,” says Todd.

'Funding will see benefits across local businesses, and of course to the families involved as well. We will be able to keep our brightest stars here.”

Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker sees the new campus as being crucial to lifting the region's economic performance by focusing on regional innovation and entrepreneurship.

The campus will also provide a central base for the four tertiary institutions to work together and with local businesses and organisations.

Andrew believes the region is fortunate to have a community trust clearly committed to economic development.

'The establishment of a tertiary and research campus aligned with regional needs will deliver a step change to our economy,” says Andrew.

'[This week's] announcement will also assist the region to develop applied research to support industry and economic growth.”

It's expected following the development of the campus, 8000 tertiary students will study in the Bay of Plenty during a 17-year period.

It's hoped two stages of the tertiary shared campus' construction will provide more than $49 million in direct construction expenditures, $47 million in flow-on effects for suppliers and households, an estimated 427 construction jobs, and 272 tertiary operations jobs.

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