Commision News & Views with Commission Chair Anne Tolley

Tauranga is growing quickly, and we can't just keep building new suburbs to accommodate growth. We need to think differently about how and where we live and how we move around the city.

Over the next 30 years, it's estimated that 15,000 more people will be living on the Te Papa peninsula – the area between the Harbour Bridge and Barkes Corner. That means we need to start work now to transform Te Papa into a place where more and more people can live, work, study and play.

Transformation of Te Papa will take time, but the key things it will provide are:

• Greater housing choices and more dwellings within our existing footprint
• People-friendly streets
• A thriving economy
• More efficient public transport and increased bus use
• More opportunities for walking and cycling
• More connected neighbourhoods with great public amenity
• A more sustainable and greener urban footprint
• Connection to a vibrant city centre.

Work is underway on a number of fronts to kick-start the transformation process, including plan changes to allow housing development better suited to peoples' needs, matched by improvements to facilities and services to support a great city lifestyle.

At the same time, work has started to futureproof Cameron Road, the area's main transport corridor, largely funded by a $45 million government grant.

The first stage of this project focuses on the section between 17th Avenue and the CBD and will provide morning and evening bus clearways; wider paths and better and safer crossings for pedestrians; a dedicated two-way cycle way; and more trees and planted areas.

Aging water and wastewater infrastructure will also be renewed and upgraded to provide for an increasing population, while stormwater systems will undergo environmental improvements.

Te Papa urban transformation is an important building block for Tauranga's future, and we're working with our regional and central government partners, local residential and business communities and tangata whenua to ensure we get it right.