Hamilton’s loss is Waip¯a’s gain

Hamilton’s loss is the region’s gain.

A long standing city manufacturer is shipping out to greener pastures, south of the border, to a new industrial development in the Waipa¯ District.

APL (Architectural Profiles Ltd) is the country’s largest manufacturer of aluminum windows and doors and has been a stalwart in Te Rapa since 1971.

Mitch Plaw, a major shareholder in APL, is developing the 56.7 hectare industrial zone at Hautapu, near Cambridge.

His private plan change, under the name Bardowie Investments Ltd, has been given the green light by Waipa¯ District Council.

Bordering the Waikato Expressway, it will be Waipa¯’s largest industrial park.

Waipa¯ Mayor Jim Mylchreest said it will be welcomed by the district.

‘‘Waipa¯ is facing massive growth and our challenge is to manage it well. This a very good example of doing that and of working constructively with the business community to develop the right facilities at the right time,’’ Mylchreest said.

The Cambridge Community Board and Cambridge Chamber of Commerce supported the development through public submissions and during the consent hearings.

The plan change changed 30 hectares of deferred industrial zone land and 26.7 hectares of rural zone land into industrial.

More than five hectares has been ring-fenced for a central hub with visitor accommodation and conference centre, a healthcare and childcare centre, research and development and retail.

APL will move to its new location – a 400m-long and 100m-wide factory – over a five year period.

It will employ about 460 people with wages and salaries of about $26.5 million per year.

The construction phase is expected to generate 43 on-site jobs and during construction, $4 million per year will be spent on local businesses.

The rest of the industrial park will generate 690 full-time jobs and $39.8 million per year in wages and salaries.

Work on the development will begin almost immediately with APL expected to move part of its operation in 2020.

The second stage will come in 2021 and the third and final stage of development of the park will be available in 2024.

Members of the hearing panel were Waipa District Councillors Bruce Thomas, Clare St Pierre and Liz Stolwyk and iwi representative Lee Tane.