Benefits
Secondary industrial hubs across the lower North Island that are serving local communities, and in some cases large exporters, contribute to the success of the transport and logistics system in central New Zealand.
Although the majority of investment in Te Utanganui is in and around Palmerston North cit and Manawatū, the lower North Island region, shown on this map, benefits from Te Utanganui’s development.
The lower North Island is already the second largest economic region by GDP, behind Auckland, accounting for 22.4% of the national GDP.
There has been strong collaboration with central central and local government agencies since the inception of Te Utanganui, with 22 councils and four regional councils endorsing this Strategy in 2021.
#2 GPD
The lower North Island is New Zealand's second-largest economic region by GDP, after Auckland, and contributes almost a quarter (22.4%) of our national GDP.
24/7 Airfreight
1 of NZ's 3 key hubs
Road, Rail, Air & Sea
Manufacturing and Production supports infrastructure investment and growth opportunities
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The region is well positioned to capitalise on the growing demand for hyperscale data centers.
The New Zealand data center market is expected to reach 354.1 MW by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 16.53%.
This growth presents opportunities for Te Utanganui to attract data center investments, leveraging its strategic location and connectivity advantages.
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Complementing this, there's potential for growth in the green energy sector:
Data centers are increasingly focusing on sustainability, creating demand for renewable energy sources.
The region could develop green energy projects to support these data centers, aligning with global sustainability trends.
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With 79% of Manawatū's exports coming from manufacturing, significant opportunities abound.
The regions strengths in agrifood creates significant opportunities with poultry, produce, dairy and more.
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Over 120,000 people choose to call Manawatū home, and the population of central New Zealand exceeds 1,000,000 people and is projected to grow to over 1,230,000 by 2048. This puts Te Utanganui in the middle of more than a million people.
The region offers a competitive cost of living compared to the main centres and is renowned for its higher quality of life with great schooling, shorter commutes, exceptional health care services and its diverse variety of lifestyle options.
The regions strong multi sector economy provides a stable workforce and a unique economic resilience as well as strong employment for spouses, partners and family - making an attractive proposition for recruiting your workforce.
“Having outgrown our manufacturing operation set up in Wellington, we did some looking around and discovered Manawatū. It has been an easy, positive move for us.”
—Gyro Plastics, Kawakawa Industrial Precinct
Dairy
With nearly 18% of New Zealand’s dairy herd, the lower North Island is home to nine dairy processing facilities under three major companies – Fonterra, Open Country and Goodman Fielder.
Fonterra
Fonterra Brands New Zealand operates several plants in central New Zealand including Eltham, with more than a century of cheese making, as well as Whareroa, Pahiatua and Longburn. Fonterra is renowned for their beloved brands like Kāpiti and Mainland. These plants work closely with the global research and development team at Palmerston North’s Dairy Research Institute.
Goodman Fielder
Goodman Fielder is one of New Zealand’s leading manufacturers of consumables, including the Meadow Fresh range of dairy products and Yoplait Yogurt which are manufactured here in Manawatū, with Palmerston North one of Goodman Fielder’s major dairy manufacturing site with national distribution along with some export product.
Open Country Dairy Whanganui
Open Country Dairy’s Whanganui sites have seen rapid expansion over the past few years producing large scale milk powder exports to the world as part of their extensive range dairy products including cheese, milk protein and concentrates.
All dairy product from across the region is transported through Te Utanganui and onwards to New Zealand’s major ports.
Red Meat
There are 21 red meat plants in the lower North Island exporting beef and lamb to the world. The majority of this cargo is transported via rail through Te Utanganui.
This map shows the scale of the lower North Island meat sector. China is now our largest market followed by the USA and Europe making the shipping services of Tauranga and Napier especially appealing.
In the lower North Island, meat exports are split between CentrePort (via the CentreConnect service), and the Napier Port to additional shipping services to North Asia and North America, and Port of Tauranga for chilled product.
Manawatū's Feilding Livestock Centre sells around 500,000 of cattle and sheep annually, making the lower North Island one of New Zealand's prime meat export regions.
Forestry and related businesses
Log exports
The lower North Island is a significant log export region in New Zealand, putting pressure on rail and road transportation, hub developments and port capacities at the lower North Island log ports of Taranaki, Napier and Wellington. Logs are almost entirely exported from New Zealand in bulk ships, not in containers.
Timber-related businesses
Taranaki Pine (New Plymouth), Pan Pac Forest Products (Napier), and other major timber-related product exporters in the region have export volume that rivals those of the meat and dairy sectors.
