Ōpōtiki Harbour supports aquaculture growth
Published: 25 November, 2025
Work on a new harbour servicing the eastern Bay of Plenty is complete, unlocking opportunities for aquaculture and marine industry growth, new local jobs and regional prosperity.
Entrance to Ōpōtiki Harbour
The extensive work on Ōpōtiki Harbour over several years includes the construction of two 350m-long harbour walls and dredging of the channel.
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. It is the first major harbour built in New Zealand in decades and is now operational.
The construction created around 200 jobs, as well as indirect employment in related industries, including the establishment of two rock quarries and an expanded local cement operation.
A mussel boat moored
The harbour was developed with $95.2m of government funding from the Regional Investment Opportunities Fund and $20m from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The government also invested just over $52m from 2019 to 2025 in the local mussel processing business Whakatōhea Mussels (Ōpōtiki) Limited from the former Provincial Growth Fund.
The investments contribute to the country’s goal to increase annual aquaculture sector sales from $750m to $3 billion by 2035.
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’s successful completion has been underpinned by a strong commitment from local community leaders, iwi, and councils to create new jobs and increase local incomes.