Connections central to innovation park's vision Adding value to the land of the Far North has inspired the cultivation of an innovation and enterprise park with a special interest in local employment and sustainability. The 240ha site of the Ngawha Innovation and Enterprise Park, about 3km east of Kaikohe in Northland, was purchased in 2018 after community consultation. Far North Holdings, the commercial and development arm of the Far North District Council, purchased the land on behalf of the community and began the feasibility and business case to develop the greenfields site. Now partnered with central government, local and national businesses, education and training agencies, research and development providers and a local hapū, the park in 2020 had six education and horticulture-based tenants signed on to begin construction. Opportunities are open for emerging crops, processing and value-added businesses to join the park as a centre of excellence for ingredients for the health and skincare market. Designed to create employment and provide education for the community and to enhance skillsets, particularly in horticultural and agricultural practices, Ngawha is growing into an example of the land diversification opportunities
available to farmers and growers both within Northland and throughout the rest of the country.
electricity supply. Provincial Growth Fund money has funded infrastructure costs to open up the site.
Stage one of the park’s infrastructure development began in November 2020. Farmlands’ shareholder Kaikohe Berryfruit LLP has 10ha of hydroponic tunnels going in, with plans for additional crops and manuka honey and oil processing. Olivado, the world’s largest producer of extra virgin and organic avocado oil, is due to start construction soon. An Education and Innovation Centre and Regent Training Centre are due to be finished in September 2022 and NorthTec’s Mid North campus will be operating in February 2023.
For Sue, a priority has been increasing employment rates within the community and making sure the businesses are getting the skillsets needed to succeed.
Sue Dobbie, the “chief connector” for the park, has been involved since the get-go and has been part of the team behind making the park an attractive place to set up businesses. “Northland, particularly the Mid North, has a good climate, high-quality soils and a lot of things can be grown there. One issue is a lack of water so the Matawii Dam has been implemented as the first part of the Mid North water storage scheme,” Sue says. Just across the road from Top Energy, the park will also enjoy a cheaper
“We are very focused on bringing in education and training based on what the businesses need. Instead of offering courses willy-nilly, the employers just need to tell us what they require in their workforce so that we can ensure their people are trained specifically for them. As well as standard NZQA qualifications, people will receive micro-credentials in recognition of their skills and training for their industry, for example horticulture,” Sue says. “We have a skills and employment coordinator on-site that works with businesses to get the information on who they are needing and then keeps an eye out for locals who can grow into those roles. There is active engagement between the community and the park.” Training opportunities will start with Regent Training Centre and NorthTec. Regent Training Centre, a private training organisation with campuses throughout Northland, will train 15 to 19-year-olds in trades on-site, while NorthTec will offer
| Stage one of the innovation park’s infrastructure development began in November 2020.
18 | THE FARMLANDER
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