$2m grant secures Matakana Island lifeline
The New Zealand Government is funding a $2.01 million upgrade to Matakana Island’s Opureora Wharf, its sole freight and vehicle gateway, to improve safety, reliability, and resilience for the island’s 320 residents and economy.
The Government will invest $2.01 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to upgrade Matakana Island’s Opureora Wharf, the island’s only vehicle and freight gateway. The upgrade aims to address safety, reliability, and capacity issues at the wharf, which serves as the lifeline for the island’s 320 residents and its economy based on forestry, dairy farming, and horticulture. The wharf handles multiple daily barge sailings transporting milk, logs, produce, workers, machinery, and essential supplies year-round.
The total $2.9 million project includes extending the seawall, widening and sealing the loading area, formalising loading and parking zones, improving stormwater management, and installing safety barriers and roading upgrades. These improvements will protect the coastal edge below Opureora Marae from erosion and safeguard critical transport infrastructure. The project is expected to remove long-standing operational bottlenecks, making daily wharf operations safer and more efficient.
The upgrade is championed by the Opureora Marae Committee and will be delivered by Western Bay of Plenty District Council in partnership with the committee and relevant landowners. Matakana Island lies within the rohe of Ngāi Te Rangi and is closely associated with Ngāti Tauaiti and Ngāi Tūwhiwhia. Additional funding of $700,000 has been provided by the Māori Climate Platform for the seawall works, while the council has committed $200,000.
The project is expected to support approximately 19 full-time equivalent jobs during construction. Subject to conditions, consents, and contracting, work is planned to begin in late 2026. The investment aligns with the Regional Infrastructure Fund’s goal of strengthening regional resilience and unlocking economic potential.