Top Regional Industrial Site Sparks Interest

A major master-planned industrial park is among possibilities mooted as one of the Auckland/Waikato region’s largest industrial land offerings goes on the market.

The more than 31.5 hectares of flat freehold land for sale in Tuakau, at the southern foot of the Bombay Hills, is being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for developers or large-scale owner-occupiers.

The site boasts outstanding access and visibility thanks to extensive dual road frontages at Auckland’s fast-growing southern fringe. A strategic location midway between Auckland and Hamilton, handy to rail services and State Highway 1, promises future occupiers pride of place to service the prosperous ‘Golden Triangle’ economic area.

An existing kiwifruit orchard, run by tenant Punchbowl PackCo on a year-to-year basis, promises new owners a substantial holding income while they progress future projects.

The property at 191 Whangarata Road and 105 Bollard Road, Tuakau, is being offered to buyers by way of a tender closing on Wednesday 9 September (unless sold prior), through Bayleys Pukekohe.

Bayleys salesperson Shane Snijder says the sale represents an extraordinary opportunity to secure one of the region's most significant industrial landholdings.

“All the experts agree finding large, contiguous industrial land parcels is becoming increasingly difficult. Set across two freehold titles, this sprawling site offers a rare combination of scale, services, access and location in one compelling package.

“The flat contour and excellent geotechnical conditions of this Industrial-zoned land make it a perfect platform for developing a large master-planned industrial precinct.

“Alternatively, it will be closely eyed by owner-occupiers as an unrivalled opportunity to establish a large-format operation in a strategic growth location, or by future-focused buyers looking to land-bank.

“New owners can take comfort that all vital services, including power, gas, water, wastewater and fibre, are available at the boundary. The electricity needs of any future development are further underpinned by proximity to a Counties Energy substation,” Snijder says.

New owners will derive immediate income from the tenant’s highly productive orchard operation, with an output this season of 44,866 trays of gold and 113,433 trays of green kiwifruit. The crop is irrigated by automated systems supplied from two bores with a combined consented water take of 215,000 cubic metres a year.

Snijder says buyer interest will be fuelled by demand for large, Industrial-zoned sites, which has surged as major companies invest heavily in South Auckland in line with the area’s unprecedented growth.

Tuakau’s population soared by nearly a third, to over 5,700, in the 10 years to the 2023 census. Nearby Pukekohe has seen a similar surge, with a population now nearing 30,000 making it the Auckland region’s third-largest urban area behind Auckland city and Hibiscus coast.

The towns are important service centres for the rural hinterland and workers at the Glenbrook Steel Mill. They are also sought after as a dormitory hub and commuter base for workers employed in central Auckland.

“Property owners, developers and occupiers in this location can also capitalise on a wider boom unfolding across Franklin – a focal point for Auckland’s southern expansion, typified by high demand and limited supply of commercial and industrial real estate.

“More than 40,000 new homes and 38,000 new jobs in three decades are expected to take Franklin to another level in terms of scale and demand. This is already spawning large-scale developments and infrastructure investment,” Snijder says.

Leading projects include the 360-hectare Drury South precinct, Kiwi Income Property Trust’s Drury town centre project, and Fisher & Paykel’s $275 million land purchase for a new research and development campus.