Waikato region will submit joint Regional Deals proposal

The Waikato region has confirmed that it will submit a joint proposal for a Regional Deal by February 2025.

Waikato Regional Council, under guidance from a Chief Executive Working Group, is coordinating the lodgement of a proposal on behalf of the Waikato Mayoral Forum. 

Regional Deals is the Government’s initiative for establishing long-term agreements between central and local government. The programme unlocks funding and resource opportunities to support councils to make improvements in their region, for example to roads, infrastructure and the supply of quality housing.

“The Waikato proposal will demonstrate regional cohesion and build on the good work that is being undertaken together to grow and strengthen our regional economy,” said Waikato Regional Council Chair Pamela Storey. 

The Waikato region is strategically placed in the central and upper North Island, delivering goods, services and infrastructure that strengthen the national economy and deliver quality regional communities at both a metropolitan and provincial scale. 

Chair of the Waikato Mayoral Forum, Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams, said: “Our registration of interest lays the foundation for a proposal that will benefit the entire region, recognising our diverse, but hugely connected, rural and metropolitan communities.”

A core tenet of the region’s proposal is strengthening Waikato communities through aligned infrastructure provision to generate more houses and employment opportunities. Speed of delivery and innovative multi-agency partnering, with an eye on future infrastructure capacity, will be framed with resiliency in mind.

The region’s proposal will include several key projects such as Future Proof priority development areas, the Hamilton to Tauranga corridor, Coromandel roading resilience, infrastructure to unlock provincial growth nodes, and the Waikato Housing Initiative housing provision pipeline.

The proposal will outline significant economic and employment benefits, including the creation of thousands of jobs and substantial contributions to regional GDP through various infrastructure and development projects.

Collaboration with iwi partners, private sector developers and organisations like the Waikato Housing Initiative and Sport Waikato will be a cornerstone of the proposed deal, aiming to leverage existing investments and expedite economic growth through multi-sector partnerships.