The first major harbour built in New Zealand in decades has been completed and is now operational.

The extensive work on Ōpōtiki Harbour started in 2018 and included building two 350m-long harbour walls and dredging the channel.

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said the new harbour would service the eastern Bay of Plenty, unlocking opportunities for aquaculture and marine industry growth, new local jobs and “regional prosperity”.

“This is the first major harbour built in New Zealand in decades. The new walls and dredging have created safe access for mussel boats and other seacraft, as well as enabling greater capacity for future marine expansion in the area.”

The construction stage created about 200 jobs, as well as indirect employment in related industries, including the establishment of two rock quarries and an expanded local cement operation.

The Ōpōtiki Harbour is operational after dredging finished in September.

Jones said its success has been underpinned by a “strong commitment” from community leaders, iwi and councils to create new jobs and increase local incomes.

“We first started talking about the vision for the harbour in 2018, and we are now seeing it come to fruition. At that time, economic modelling by Ōpōtiki District Council conservatively predicted the harbour development would produce $132 million in economic benefits for New Zealand and I look forward to this becoming a reality over time.”

The harbour was developed with $95.2m from the Government’s Regional Investment Opportunities Fund and $20m from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Ōpōtiki Harbour is now complete. Photo / Kanoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit

The Government also invested just over $52m from 2019 to 2025 in mussel-processing business Whakatōhea Mussels (Ōpōtiki) Ltd from the former Provincial Growth Fund.

“This is a significant Crown investment in Ōpōtiki and the local aquaculture industry, contributing to the Coalition Government’s goal to increase annual aquaculture sector sales from $750m to $3 billion by 2035,” Jones said.

“The mussel industry is now a significant employer in Ōpōtiki, with more than 200 full-time staff. The industry is a major contributor to the local economy and is expected to continue to grow in the years to come.

“The harbour is an example of the type of collaborative project that is going to lift regions in New Zealand back into prosperity.”

The Whakatōhea Mussels and marina-related investments have faced scrutiny, with the former experiencing "significant delays" and the latter “significant losses“, according to the 2024 annual report of Crown Regional Holdings Limited - the Government’s holding company for investments made through the Provincial Growth Fund.

Last year, Jones defended the Government’s decision to top up its investment in the loss-making mussel business.

“Trying to establish a large-scale employer enterprise in this part of New Zealand is not for the faint-hearted. But you know, you can do one of two things: you can step aside and let the animal spirits of capitalism do their thing; or you can take a stand and say, ‘We really do want to see the mussel industry prosper’.”