Tauranga City Council is asking the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to use their 54 per cent shareholding in the Port of Tauranga to assist with infrastructure projects within the city limits.

The request is part of the council's official submission to the BOPRC Long Term Plan.

Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout says he, along with Chief Finance Officer Paul Davidson and accompanied by councillors Larry Baldock and Max Mason, presented the council's case at BOPRC Long Term Plan hearings in Rotorua on April 20.

He believes dividends retained by Quayside Holdings (the investment arm of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council) could be used to support a joint fund.

'Basically, once we've got this fund from the two councils, we can go to central government and apply to their Provincial Growth Fund,” says Kelvin.

'It shows central government there's a big buy-in locally. It would be a powerful message to encourage the government to contribute.”

He says the money would be utilised in ‘major roading infrastructure', much of which would impact directly on the Port.

'The ring road hasn't yet been completed in Tauranga. It would include Totara Street and Hewletts Road being grade separated, which would again support port traffic. It would also involve sorting out Barkes Corner and accessing Route K from 15th Avenue, and possibly even 11th Avenue. These are parts of the ring road that need to be invested in to make sure traffic flows smoothly.

'So it would be safeguarding the regional council's investment as well. We don't want a repeat of what's happened with Auckland, where their port has become restricted by congestion, and that's impacted on the Port of Auckland's operating efficiency.”

Kelvin says the benefits would extend across the region, as it would free up key corridors for the movement of freight to other parts of the Bay of Plenty.

'It's fair to say the regional council are willing to engage in the discussion, which is the most important thing. The key point is the regional council has a very significant asset in the Port of Tauranga, and they gain the benefit of it.

'But Tauranga City Council incurs a lot of the costs within the city boundaries to service the port. We're looking for a region-wide answer to the dilemma.”