Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones will be in Kawerau this morning where he will make an announcement on investing $2mil of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) into the Kawerau Putauaki Industrial development (KPID).
The development will create jobs, attract new businesses to Kawerau and help boost the productivity potential of the wider Bay of Plenty region.
Jones says “the project is the result of more than a decade of planning work from local iwi, council and businesses, and is expected to create at least 150 jobs in Kawerau. It also has the potential to boost the economy of the entire Eastern Bay of Plenty region.”
The groups involved in the KPI development include the Māori Land Trust, Pūtauaki Trust, Sequal Lumber, Kawerau CT, Kiwirail and Kawerau District Council.
“It is positive to see iwi leveraging their assets to get improved returns for their people and the wider community and I look forward to seeing this project progress,” says Jones.
The announcement will be made after 9am.