Western Bay of Plenty City and Regional Deal
On 2 July 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region and central government, marking a significant step toward a potential City and Regional Deal partnership.
The Western Bay of Plenty City and Regional Deal
The Western Bay of Plenty sub region has signed a deal with the Central Government which outlines a series of commitments that will be delivered over a 10-year period. The signatories of the deal are the New Zealand Government, Tauranga City Council, Western Bay District Council and The Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
There are 7 priorities which have been agreed around the key themes of:
- Transport Infrastructure.
- Land & Housing Development.
- Social Infrastructure (Health and Education).
- Export Growth.
- Economic Diversification.
A governance structure is established which comprises of a leadership group (Ministers, Mayors and Chair of the three councils) a deal oversight board and a series of steering groups and working committees.
A deal oversight board will be established comprising of representatives of Central Government, Councils, Private Sector and Iwi. This will report to a leadership group made up of Ministers, Mayors and Chair.
The first phase is a planning phase, which will develop an implementation plan which will be approved through our councils and the government (4-6months) and then we enter the 10-year Delivery or Implementation period of the Deal.
Reporting is quarterly to Governance with reviews set out over time to ensure alignment and delivery of the outcomes.
What's the deal with the City and Regional Deal?
The Government’s City and Regional Deals are focused on unlocking economic growth, improving housing supply, and investing in connected, resilient infrastructure through long-term, place-based partnerships.
The Western Bay of Plenty subregion is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions, but growth comes with challenges. The intent of the regional deal is to help unlock our subregion’s full potential and improve liveability – creating opportunities for economic growth, jobs, new housing and better, connected infrastructure.
What’s in it for the people of the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region?
What we hope to achieve:
- Enable the delivery of up to 40,000 homes
- Support the creation of 35,000 jobs
- Unlock new industrial land
- Deliver real GDP growth of 4.6% per year.
How would this improve life in the Western Bay?
- Delivering more housing, and improving affordability
- Attracting new businesses and investment
- Improving regional transport connectivity
- Supporting wage growth and job opportunities
- Improving access to education, health care and other essential services
- Unlocking new funding and financing tools to manage growth and maintain liveability
- Giving certainty: certainty drives confidence, confidence drives investment.
Graphic on left outlines priorities for the Western Bay that will inform the regional deal. These priorities are grounded in the SmartGrowth strategy and shared by all three local councils.
Working together with a long-term plan in play
A regional deal will give us access to:
- A partnership with central government to tackle the real issues and manage growth
- An economic growth plan that has rigour, certainty and commitment
- Long-term certainty for strong partnerships.
The deal framework is based on a 30-year vision, with negotiated 10-year strategic plans to deliver the shared priorities agreed to.
Who's involved?
The partners of the deal are Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, SmartGrowth Combined Tangata Whenua Forum and Priority One.
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Background Information and Resources