Boffa Miskell, with a long-standing relationship with the client Element IMF since the mid-2000s, led the planning for Stages 1–3 and also spearheaded the Stage 4 plan change. This change responds to strong ongoing and future demand for industrial land in Tauranga and the wider Western Bay of Plenty subregion. The area is identified for industrial growth in key strategic planning documents, including:

• Urban Form and Transport Initiative
• Draft Future Development Strategy
• Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan
• SmartGrowth Strategy 2023

The plan change also complements nearby residential areas in The Lakes, Tauriko West, and Keenan Road.

Boffa Miskell led the preparation of Plan Change 35 to the Tauranga City Plan, rezoning approximately 110 hectares of rural land to industrial on behalf of Element IMF. We also provided landscape planning, urban design, and ecological services to support the process.

Key challenges included ensuring infrastructure—particularly stormwater, wastewater, and transport—could support future development. This was addressed through a sequencing framework that ties land release to infrastructure upgrades, ensuring development only proceeds when capacity is available.

Balancing industrial expansion with environmental protection was also a priority. Provisions include:

• Safeguarding ecological features like riparian margins and a central drainage corridor
• Requiring ecological assessments at the subdivision stage to guide future land use

Before the plan change, a Council jurisdictional boundary change was made via the Local Government Commission, transferring the subject land from Western Bay of Plenty District Council to Tauranga City Council.

Plan Change 35 was adopted by Tauranga City Council in November 2024.