hastings, heart of hawke's bay

HASTINGSTHE HEART OF HAWKE’S BAY

WELCOME TO HASTINGS DISTRICT Hastings District in the heart of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand covers a large and diverse area and is famed for its breathtaking scenery, world class food production and many of New Zealand’s finest wineries.

The district is characterised by stunning natural beauty while long, sunny days are perfect for enjoying a wide variety of outdoor activities. White sand beaches, snowcapped ranges and scenic icons including Te Mata Peak and Cape Kidnappers make the district truly a special place.

The region is home to around 170 vineyards, more than 70 wineries, 40 cellar doors and is renowned for its traditional farmers’ markets, boutique food stores and fabulous fresh produce.

Hastings also has a rich architectural heritage with the Hawke’s Bay Opera House an outstanding example of the early 1900s building style. This premiere arts and events centre is one of the southern hemisphere’s best known examples of Spanish Mission architecture.

4 HASTINGS THE HEART OF HAWKE’S BAY

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

Welcome to Hastings – the vibrant heart of Hawke’s Bay.

People the world over are striving to achieve a good balance in life: between work and play, financial success and family life. Striking that balance is easy in Hastings.

We have a vibrant economy, with the agricultural and horticultural industries thriving alongside manufacturing, retail, hospitality and tourism. While new business ventures are strongly supported – from cottage industry through to international companies wanting to base themselves here.

Our fertile Heretaunga Plains together with our hill country farms provide the backbone for industry, with Hastings renowned as one of the world’s premiere food growing areas. Our many orchards and farms provide the raw materials for international food producers including Heinz Wattie and McCains, while hundreds of hectares of grapes are transformed into some of the very best wine in the world. Hastings is also the major service centre for the Hawke’s Bay farming industry with premium beef and lamb products shipped from the Port of Napier to markets across the globe.

The lifestyle appeal of Hastings is obvious, which is why so many businesses and the professionals they employ choose to move here. Our district’s unspoilt natural environment offers beautiful beaches, tranquil rivers, first-class walking and cycling and, of course, top quality golf courses like the prestigious Cape Kidnappers.

Wine and food also feature heavily with winery cellar doors allowing visitors and locals alike to imbibe great wines while many of the wineries have restaurants with menus created by chefs who developed their craft in leading restaurants around the world. Boutique food stores serve up a wide range of fare including artisan cheeses, fine meats and other locally produced delicacies while the farmers’ market is a great place to meet the makers and taste the very best the region has to offer.

The range of businesses based in Hastings is continually expanding as entrepreneurs discover the advantages of our relaxed lifestyle while remaining within easy reach of New Zealand’s main centres and connected to the rest of the world through leading communications infrastructure.

In particular, we see significant opportunities to build a strong and enduring partnership with China. Opportunities abound in the areas of investment, education and food production, we are firmly committed to supporting sustainable growth in these areas.

Hastings has much to offer, whether you are a local, a visitor or someone looking to invest. I encourage you to visit and enjoy all that Hastings has to offer. I have no doubt you’ll find it a dynamic and enjoyable place.

Lawrence Yule Mayor of Hastings

5HASTINGS THE HEART OF HAWKE’S BAY

CONTENTSHistory 9

Maori legends 10

Food and wine 13

Art and culture 14

The great outdoors 17

Cycling 18

Golf 21

Beaches 22

Hastings highlights 26

World-class education 27

Doing business 28

Our people 31

Infrastructure and logistics 32

Sister city 35


HISTORYHastings District has a colourful past and rich Māori heritage.

Ngati Kahungunu is the largest iwi (tribe) in Hawke’s Bay and the third largest tribal group in New Zealand. Stretching from Māhia Peninsula in northern Hawke’s Bay to Cape Palliser in the Wairarapa.

The tribe’s ancestor, Kahungunu, was an energetic and talented leader who built villages and irrigated the land. Whaling stations were set up on tribal land in the 1830s, and Ngāti Kahungunu began farming and market gardening. Today the tribe numbers over 60,000 people with 86 Marae scattered throughout Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa.

The first settlement in Hastings took place in 1864, when Thomas Tanner leased about 7000 hectares of the Heretaunga Plains from Maori owners. Some years later, a syndicate was formed to purchase this area and the Heretaunga Block was secured by 12 people who are often referred to as the “12 Apostles”.

In 1873, Francis Hicks (a member of the syndicate) presented the Government with a section of land for the site of a railway station and decided to lay out 100 acres near this site for a township to be called Hastings. From here the population increased, and places of business prospered. Fruit-growing became an important industry, vineyards were established and, by 1884, the town had a population of 614 and was constituted a town district.

Hastings was incorporated as a borough on 20 October 1886 and was the largest borough in New Zealand until April 1908, when a large portion was included in the Hawke’s Bay county. Hastings was proclaimed a city on 8 September 1956, and a district in 1989 following the amalgamation of the Hastings City, Havelock North Borough and the Hawke’s Bay County councils.

The district has also survived many major upheavals, most notably the devastating Hawke’s Bay earthquake in 1931. The 7.8 magnitude quake struck on Tuesday February 3rd, leaving the Hastings CBD in ruins. The earthquake was New Zealand’s greatest natural disaster, claiming a total of 258 lives including 94 in Hastings. Rebuilding of the CBD in the distinct Art Deco, Spanish Mission and Stripped Classical architectural styles was quickly completed and today, Hastings boasts some of the finest examples of 1930s architecture in the world.



MAORI LEGENDSHastings’ history is full of Maori legends, one of the most famous being that of the Sleeping Giant of Te Mata Peak. Te Mata Rongokoko, a Maori chief, preyed on the Heretaunga Plains until he fell in love with a neighbouring chief’s daughter and decided to woo her instead of making war. She set him many tasks and the last was to eat his way through the hill. He choked on a rock and dropped to the ground where he still lays today, his prone body outlined along the top of the hills behind Havelock North.

Maui is one of the most famous figures in Maori mythology and legend has it that he fished up the North Island of New Zealand. The story begins with Maui heading off on a fishing trip with his brothers. They became weary of his antics and refused to give him a hook or bait for fishing so Maui made his own hook from the jawbone of his grandmother. He then punched himself in the nose and smeared blood on the hook which acted as bait. It wasn’t long before Maui caught a great fish that turned out to be the North Island of New Zealand. According to legend, the hook formed part of the North Island coastline which subsequently was named Hawke Bay. The Maori name for Hawke Bay is ‘Te Matau a Maui’ or the ‘Hook of the Fish of Maui’.


FOOD AND WINEThe extremely fertile Heretaunga Plains has earned Hastings District a reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading food and wine regions with many award-winning restaurants and cafés sourcing fresh produce from local orchards, market gardens and the farm gate.

Food and wine trails take visitors direct to the doors of a rapidly growing number of artisans and commercial producers. On weekends, traditional farmers’ markets, including the oldest farmers’ market in New Zealand, are an opportunity to sample, taste, and buy direct from growers.

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest wine region and has been producing fine wine for over 100 years. It has over 80 per cent of the country’s plantings of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes, and an established reputation for superior quality red wines, particularly from the world renowned Gimblett Gravels area. The warm climate and varying landscapes also produce New Zealand’s richest and most complex Chardonnays.

Hastings is also home to Heinz Wattie, a much loved food brand. James Wattie (later Sir James) established a small cannery in Hastings in 1934 from which grew one of New Zealand’s largest food processors.


ART AND CULTUREHastings has a vibrant and flourishing arts scene. From world-class museums and galleries to artists’ studios, collectives and contemporary design stores, the thriving creative culture is evident throughout the region. Stunning art pieces created by some of the country’s most celebrated artists can be found in the public spaces of Hastings and Havelock North. The Hastings City Art Gallery is the district’s public art gallery and exhibits national and international contemporary art and design.

The Hawke’s Bay Opera House is the jewel in the crown of the Hastings entertainment scene. Elegantly refurbished in 2007, the circa 1915 Art Nouveau theatre is now linked to the historic Municipal Buildings and the modern plaza. The Opera House hosts an incredible range of events. One day, patrons can experience the country’s top opera stars, the next it could be the latest pop sensation. From breathtaking, international touring shows to high quality local productions, it is truly a superb entertainment venue.


THE GREAT OUTDOORSHastings is a sports lover’s paradise, offering a wide range of activities on land and water, at school, club and competitive level.

From cycling, horse riding and rowing to soccer, hockey, rugby, tennis and golf, Hawke’s Bay has something for families of all types and sports players of all ages and abilities. Top class facilities include indoor arenas, large outdoor venues for international fixtures, recreation parks, a Regional Sports Park and more than 20 golf courses.

Equestrian events are a vibrant part of the district’s sporting culture and each March hosts the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show, Australasia’s largest equestrian event. Regular race days are held at the Hawke’s Bay Racing Centre with the Spring Carnival attracting some of the best horses in the country.

CYCLINGHawke’s Bay is home to over 170km of dedicated cycle trails, aptly named – The Hawke’s Bay Trails.

In Hastings District, the Landscapes Ride explores the coastal communities of Te Awanga and Clifton as well as the slightly steeper Tuki Tuki Valley and Te Mata Road into Havelock North. The Wineries Ride covers the wine growing areas of Bridge Pa, Gimblet Gravels and the Ngatarawa Triangle.

For the serious mountain biker the Eskdale Mountain Bike Park is one of the largest and most highly regarded parks in the country with more than 80 kilometres of world-class tracks.


GOLFThe region features more than 20 golf courses, ranging from world class and well groomed links-style courses to smaller nine-hole country clubs where there may be sheep grazing on the fairways.

The world-acclaimed Cape Kidnappers course is ranked among the top 50 courses in the world by Golf Magazine. Find out more at www.capekidnappers.com

The other two top courses in the Hastings District are the Hawke’s Bay Golf Club and the Hastings Golf Club, both located at Bridge Pa. Hawke’s Bay Golf Course is the youngest course, opening in 1969. It has tree-lined fairways and large greens, with a variety of bird life attracted to the feature waterways. The Hastings course is an 18-hole championship course that is ranked among the top 10 in New Zealand.


BEACHESWith 360 kilometres of coastline, Hawke’s Bay has a wide selection of beaches stretching from Mahia Peninsula in the north to Porangahau in the south. Ocean Beach and Waimarama, within 35 minutes of Hastings, offer golden sands and are perfect for swimming, surfing and fishing.


HASTINGS HIGHLIGHTSWINE AND DINE Enjoy a sumptuous lunch or dinner at one of the many winery restaurants or follow the wine trail to taste a selection of premium wines.

TEE OFF Play the ultimate round at Cape Kidnappers Golf Course which is ranked in the top 50 courses in the world.

HAWKE’S BAY TRAILS Cycle or walk the trails that connect Hastings with Napier and Havelock North. Enjoy beautiful coastal scenery that can only be viewed off the road.

FIRST TO SEE THE SUN Get up and watch the sunrise. The Hawke’s Bay coastline is the first to see the sun each morning.

TE MATA PEAK Drive, cycle or walk to the top of Te Mata Peak in Havelock North. Standing 400 metres above sea level the peak offers stunning views across Hawke’s Bay.

FARM FRESH Stroll around New Zealand’s oldest farmers market at the Hawke’s Bay showgrounds each Sunday morning. Sample fresh local produce and buy direct from the grower while enjoying live music and a colourful atmosphere.

GO GANNETS Visit the world’s largest mainland gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. Options for getting there include travelling overland by 4WD or along the beach on a fun tractor ride.

WET AND WILD Enjoy a wet and wild day out at Splash Planet, New Zealand’s only water based theme park.



WORLD-CLASS EDUCATIONEducation in New Zealand follows the three-tier model which includes primary schools, followed by secondary schools (high schools) and tertiary education at universities and/or institutes of technology.

The Education Index, published with the UN’s Human Development Index in 2008, lists New Zealand amongst the very best education systems in the world, tied for first with Denmark, Finland and Australia.

SCHOOLS IN HASTINGS

Quality education is the backbone of New Zealand society and Hastings’ high quality schools provide a broad range of academic subjects along with the opportunity to take part in sport and the arts. The schools are focused on providing the best possible education which will give the students a great start in their quest to conquer life’s challenges.

The schools in Hastings District are broadly split into two types; state and private. Primary and intermediate schools are generally funded by the state and cater for pupils from five years to 12 years of age. However, Hereworth located in Havelock North is a private school which is recognised as New Zealand’s premier preparatory school for boys.

The majority of secondary schools are also state funded but the district has a number of private secondary schools which cater for boarders, day pupils and international students.

In Havelock North the highly regarded private schools Iona College and Woodford House cater for year 7-13 girls, while Lindisfarne College located in Hastings caters for year 7-13 boys.

State-funded secondary schools include Hastings Boys High, Hastings Girls High, Flaxmere College, Karamu High, St John’s College and Havelock North High. Student numbers range from around 300 to 1000 pupils.


TERTIARY EDUCATION

Quality tertiary education is available at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), just a short commute from Hastings. EIT provides over 100 programmes at post graduate, degree, diploma and certificate level, across an impressive range of subject areas in four faculties:

• Faculty of Applied Science, Business and Computing

• Faculty of Health Sciences

• Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Trades

• Faculty of Māori Studies – Te Manga Māori

Academic staff at EIT are highly qualified with real-world experience and teaching skills. The student-lecturer ratio is significantly lower than at universities, allowing a more personal approach and direct access to lecturers.


DOING BUSINESSNew Zealand has a simple, competitive and business-friendly government structure and a taxation system which supports capital development and international investment. There is strong national and local government support for investment and no capital gains tax.

The World Bank’s report “Doing Business in 2011” rated New Zealand as the easiest country in the world to start a business and the third easiest in which to do business.

Transparency International ranks New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore as the least corrupt nations in the world, using its Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

Other advantages Hastings has include highly competitive wage rates and low commercial rents.

HASTINGS DISTRICT AT A GLANCE

POPULATION75,500

LAND AREA5,229km2

GDP$3.43 billion

Hastings is the largest urban settlement in the Hawke’s Bay region. Less than twenty kilometres separate Hastings and the city of Napier, which have a combined population of 125,000 making it the fifth-largest region by population in New Zealand.

OUR ECONOMY

Without doubt Hastings is the main wealth creating component of the Hawke’s Bay regional economy. The district accounts for 89% of all horticultural employment in Hawke’s Bay, 82% of fruit-growing employment, 35% of total pastoral farming employment, 32% of forestry/logging employment, 75% of rural services employment and 56% of all regional employment in food, beverage, textile, forest products and processing. Hastings also accounts for almost half of all regional manufacturing employment.

The basis for the economic strength of Hastings is its natural resource base, in particular its climate, land and water supply. These are further supplemented by its labour force, infrastructural, community and business assets.


Hastings Industry Economic Profile 2010

IndustryNumber of

BusinessesGross Domestic

Product GDP ($m)Total Employment

Agriculture 1,892 593.7 6,781

Other Primary Production 161 111.0 252

Processing 183 593.6 3,680

Manufacturing 245 158.6 1,603

Construction 788 97.3 2,723

Commercial Services 1 4,705 948.3 12,760

Public Services 2 616 410.4 9,441

Community Services 3 457 60.2 2,504

Totals 9,047 2,973.1 39,744

Notes1. Includes utility services, wholesaling, retailing, hospitality services, transport, communications and business services2. Includes Government administration, education, training services and health/welfare services3. Includes personal, household, cultural and recreational services

Agriculture and commercial business services are by far the dominant industry categories, with commercial business services, processing, agricultural production and public services being the largest GDP industry groups. The largest employing industries are commercial business services, public services and agriculture.

Hastings is nationally significant in primary production and manufacturing and is recognised for its sheep, beef and wool farming; pip fruit growing; grape growing and winemaking; meat, fruit and vegetable processing; and forest products manufacturing. Over time, the growth of these regional specialisations has been accompanied by the development of linked commercial services: tertiary education, research, scientific activities, and infrastructural services for product distribution.

Hastings has a strong and diverse primary industry and manufacturing production base which includes a number of nationally significant industries making a significant contribution to New Zealand’s export performance. These industries have, in turn, created a number of specialised support services that have become a focus for national and international businesses and organisations wishing to undertake research and development in the primary production sector, increase technology application in the sector, or increase their knowledge of the sector.

EMPLOYING PEOPLE

New Zealand’s labour market is flexible and deregulated. Union membership is voluntary, individual contracts are widespread and overseas recruitment is straight forward.


OUR PEOPLEInnovation in New Zealand is shaped by the challenges we face – our focus on solutions, our pragmatic business culture and our unique environments. Combine our education and experience with the ‘can-do’ practicality New Zealanders are noted for, and you can see why we are home to so many world-leading businesses.

A PLACE WHERE TALENT WANTS TO LIVE: Hastings’ enviable lifestyle and thriving economy attracts migrants from all over the world. Getting people to move here is rarely a problem and the region has a constant influx of talent.

Policy and regulation are also conducive to getting the staff you need, even if they are non-resident.


INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOGISITCSPORT OF NAPIER The Port of Napier is the maritime gateway to the region and is conveniently located on the East Coast, close to the main New Zealand shipping lane, handling cargo moving to and from the lower North Island. The Port offers a full range of worldwide shipping services including a number of weekly container services, complemented by excellent domestic transport systems. The Port of Napier has the essential facilities required to handle all forms of shipping and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Container Terminal handles cargo of all types with an emphasis on refrigerated products. Facilities are also available to handle non-containerised cargo including logs, woodchips, cement, oil products, bulk liquids, fertiliser, forestry products, vehicles and foodstuffs.

HAWKE’S BAY AIRPORT Hawke’s Bay is well serviced by daily, direct Air New Zealand flights from the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Flights take an hour on average, and operate regularly between 7.00am and 10.00pm. Smaller centres can be reached by connecting flights through the main centres. Hawke’s Bay Airport is just a 20 minute commute from the centre of Hastings.

RAIL KiwiRail Freight provides cost-efficient transport for bulk-commodity, containerised dry goods or temperature-controlled freight. Freight links operate to and from the Port of Napier, and around the country.

COMMUNICATIONS New Zealand already has a substantial, reliable and modern communications infrastructure. With the ongoing rollout of an ultra-fast broadband network, it will rival the very best in the world. New Zealand’s competitive, deregulated market has continued to benefit consumers and business, lowering costs and improving service provision.

INDUSTRIAL LAND Hastings is seeking to develop a strong, prosperous and thriving economy and to support this has developed a highly targeted industrial growth strategy. To enable this growth Hastings District Council has clearly identified key locations for the ongoing expansion of industry coupled with the development of appropriate infrastructure.


SISTER CITYHastings’ relationship with the Chinese city Guilin started in 1977 after a research scientist, Dr Don McKenzie, identified a number of common areas of interest between the two cities, including horticulture and a rural-urban mix. Discussions on the establishment of a sister city relationship began soon after.

The Hastings-Guilin sister city protocol was signed on March 4, 1981 by founding Mayors Jim O’Connor and Liang Shan. This was the first sister-city agreement between a New Zealand and Chinese City, and has continued to be a model for many sister-city relationships around New Zealand.

The relationship aims to build and increase work and cultural exchanges between the two cities as well as creating greater social, economic, educational, and political understanding.

OSMANTHUS GARDEN This traditional Chinese garden (pictured at left) was established at Cornwall Park in Hastings to commemorate Hastings’ 15th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Guilin in 1996.

The garden was designed along lines traditional to Southern China by Guilin landscape designer Mr Zhao Jian. At the main entrance, visitors to the garden pass through a moongate, which is a traditional symbol of unity, family and the nation. The circle of the moongate frames a large rock, which originated from Taihu Lake near Shanghai.

The garden takes its name from the Osmanthus family of plants, including highly scented shrubs and ground covers, which have been extensively planted throughout, along with group plantings of pine trees and bamboo.

At the heart of the garden is a large pond with pavilions at its edge. It is spanned by the curved Friendship Bridge across one end and by the Crooked Bridge across the other. The garden is a skilful combination of Chinese and New Zealand elements and plants. It is seen as a perfect symbol of the Hastings-Guilin link.

WE CAN HELPHastings is an exceptional place to live, work and do business. So if you have any queries or would like to receive more information about Hastings and the opportunities which abound, please don’t hesitate to contact us:

Steve Breen

Economic and Social Development Manager

Hastings District Council

+64 6 871 5045

[email protected]

207 Lyndon Rd East, Hastings, New Zealand

Private Bag 9002, Hastings 4156, New Zealand

HASTINGS DISTRICT COUNCIL207 Lyndon Road East Hastings 4122 Private Bag 9002Hastings 4156

www.hastingsdc.govt.nz

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