By Tristan Hooker
The business park, at the Horotiu Interchange, is part of a positive transformation Hamilton and the surrounding area has been undergoing over the past few years. Covering 109 hectares, the Northgate Business Park is bringing employment opportunities, new business and added visibility to Hamilton’s northern reaches.
The availability of space, as well as the convenient location of Northgate, has been attracting quality businesses to the park.
One of those businesses is Civtec, Waikato’s experts in underground thrusting, civil works and directional drilling.
Owner of Civtec, Shane Smart says as the business has grown and expanded, it was inevitable they would need to move to a larger site. He says the relocation to the Northgate Business Park has been a positive move for many reasons.
“Workplace morale has always been good at Civtec but the change of location and extra room has definitely given everyone a boost,” says Shane.
With its new position, Civtec is handy to both Hamilton and Ngaruawahia. One of Civtec’s current projects is the highly anticipated rollout of Ultra-Fast Broadband through Ngaruawahia.
“This location also provides us with easy access to State Highway One and the Waikato Expressway,” says Shane, “as well as being accessible to the rail line.”
KiwiRail has confirmed business owners at Northgate Business Park will have access to the North Island Main Trunk Railway and that KiwiRail will work with businesses at the park to provide custom connections to the rail network.
The completion of the four-lane Waikato Expressway, expected in mid-2020, will provide ready access from the Northgate Business Park to Hamilton, Cambridge and Auckland.
Project Manager of Northgate Business Park, Graeme Lee, says the combination of rail and road gives the location the best access opportunities available in the region.
“With the Northgate Business Park being adjacent to the Waikato Expressway and with easy access to the expressway and other connecting roads, it provides economic benefits for both Hamilton and the Waikato Region with jobs, construction contractors and associated businesses,” he says.
The Ports of Auckland Ltd has purchased 33 hectares of the Northgate Business Park land adjacent to the North Island Main Trunk Railway Line, which travels through the Northgate Business Park and will have access to the line with looped sidings for their Intermodal Freight Hub.
Mr Lee says there are areas available from 2000m2 to 31ha at the Northgate Business Hub, “if anyone is thinking about relocating.”