Irongate Collective

A business-led collective proving that industry and nature can grow together in the Irongate area.

At a glance

Irongate
Local businesses, facilitated by KRCC
Underway
Irongate Stream restoration, Riverslea Road
Lattey Construction, TUMU Group, HB Homes
Evergreen Foundation, Hawke's Bay Regional Council

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The Irongate area is an important and growing part of Hawke’s Bay’s economy, supporting a wide range of rural businesses, contractors and service providers. But continued urban and industrial development also places increasing pressure on the surrounding environment, including waterways, biodiversity and the wider Te Karamū catchment.
The challenge is not to choose between economic growth and environmental health, but to find a way for industry and nature to thrive side by side.
The Irongate Collective has been established to help achieve this by giving local businesses a practical way to work together, take responsibility for the environment surrounding the place where they operate, and invest collectively in its long-term health.
Rather than relying on isolated sponsorships or one-off environmental projects, the Collective aims to build a coordinated, long-term approach where business growth, environmental restoration and a healthy community can progress together.
The Irongate Stream forms part of the wider Te Karamū catchment, connecting the industrial and urban environment with the rural landscape downstream.
Improving this area is therefore about more than restoring one stretch of stream. It is an opportunity to strengthen the connection between business, community and catchment health.
The project demonstrates that environmental improvement and a strong regional economy do not have to be competing goals. Businesses can contribute to practical restoration while building community trust, strengthening relationships and demonstrating environmental leadership.
- Creates a visible connection between industry and the health of Te Karamū.
- Provides businesses with a practical way to contribute locally.
- Builds environmental responsibility into the business community rather than relying solely on sponsorship.
- Creates opportunities for staff to participate directly in meaningful environmental work.
- Demonstrates what can be achieved when businesses work collectively rather than individually.
The long-term goal is to establish a strong, recognisable and self-sustaining business-led environmental Collective for the Irongate area.
The initial restoration work at Riverslea Road provides a highly visible starting point, but the ambition is much broader. Over time, the Collective aims to identify and deliver projects throughout the wider Irongate area, including opportunities closer to the industrial hub itself.
Potential future work could include:
- Further stream and riparian restoration.
- Stormwater and runoff management.
- Filtration and treatment initiatives.
- Biodiversity enhancement.
- Additional planting and habitat creation.
- Environmental improvements within individual business sites.
- Collaborative projects within shared industrial spaces.
Ultimately, the aim is for the Collective to develop its own membership, funding streams and programme of work so that it can continue delivering results well into the future.
The Irongate Collective is based on a simple principle: more can be achieved together.
Instead of businesses supporting disconnected projects individually, Collective members can combine their funding, people, expertise, networks and influence to deliver larger and more meaningful outcomes.
The Karamū River Catchment Collective is helping establish and facilitate the initiative, connecting businesses with environmental opportunities, technical expertise and wider catchment priorities.
The first major project is the restoration of the Irongate Stream at Riverslea Road, where local businesses have already contributed staff, resources and support to establish a significant area of riparian planting.
From this foundation, the Collective will develop a longer-term programme of practical projects and opportunities for businesses to participate.
Success is not simply measured by the number of plants in the ground.
The Irongate Collective will be successful when it has created an enduring network of businesses that takes ownership of its local environment and has the momentum and resources to keep improving it.
Success will include:
- A healthy and well-maintained Irongate Stream restoration site.
- Increasing participation from businesses across the Irongate area.
- Strong member satisfaction and a clear sense of value from being involved.
- Regular opportunities for staff to participate in environmental projects.
- New projects being identified and driven by Collective members.
- A clear longer-term programme of environmental action.
- Growing investment and membership.
- Increasingly independent and sustainable funding.
- A recognised Irongate Collective identity within Hawke’s Bay.
- Measurable environmental, community and business benefits over time.
The longer-term ambition is for the Irongate Collective to become a model of what industry-led catchment action can achieve.
Foundation business members include Lattey Construction, TUMU Group and HB Homes, alongside support from the Evergreen Foundation.
The initial Irongate Stream restoration project has also been made possible through collaboration with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, which owns the riparian area at Riverslea Road and has supported restoration of the site.
Businesses contribute in different ways — including funding, staff time, practical expertise, equipment, networks and in-kind support.
This collective approach is central to the project.