Ruakura Superhub takes another leap forward as Sime Darby Motors NZ, a leading supplier of cars, trucks, and transport solutions, announces its partnership with Ruakura. This collaboration establishes Ruakura as the chosen site for a significant North Island truck service centre. 

Sime Darby Motors NZ has secured a long-term ground lease on a prominent 2.4ha site along Ruakura Road. Set to be fully operational by late 2025, the site will serve as a showcase for the company's comprehensive commercial services.

Chair of Tainui Group Holdings (TGH), Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’ua, warmly welcomes Sime Darby Motors NZ to Ruakura. Emphasising the shared commitment between the two organisations to invest in the local economy and support its communities. 

“Sime Darby Motors has been steadily building its business across Aotearoa for 25 years to now boast more than 80 locations and 1,200 staff. They are making a major, long-term investment into our country and our region, and we look forward to working alongside them as we continue to grow and build Ruakura as a regional hub of economic growth,” says Raumati-Tu’ua.

Sime Darby Motors' Commercial division consists of 11 businesses that span the entire transport industry value chain. The company supplies trucks and materials handling equipment, reinforced by a comprehensive nationwide aftersales network. Its parts sales and distribution operation caters to body builders, transport operators, and the public. 

Pat McKenna, Managing Director of Sime Darby Motors NZ, affirms that the Ruakura Superhub site will become their flagship truck service centre in the North Island. This investment is part of their ongoing growth strategy in New Zealand.

“The Ruakura Superhub site will become our largest truck service centre in the North Island and is part of our ongoing programme of growth and investment in New Zealand,” says McKenna.

McKenna highlights the significance of this investment in an area crucial to their truck servicing customers, as the Golden Triangle contributes to over 40% of New Zealand's total freight movement. 

Chief Executive of TGH, Chris Joblin, believes that the addition of Sime Darby's facility will greatly enhance the flourishing logistics ecosystem at Ruakura Superhub.

The new facility will accommodate multiple Sime Darby Motors NZ businesses, including a prominent Volvo showroom, a state-of-the-art 14-bay (2600 sqm) truck service centre to support the company's truck franchises (Volvo, Mack, Hino, and UD), along with essential office space, parts storage, and a yard. This establishment will be a significant addition to Sime Darby's growing Truckstops network.

With a strong focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship, the building will pursue a Greenstar 4 rating. It will incorporate features such as solar provisions, EV charging stations, rainwater recycling, site landscaping, and employee end-of-trip amenities, including bicycle storage. 

The consenting and design process is well underway, with plans to solicit bids for the lead construction contractor, including a social procurement component to engage iwi-owned businesses. Construction is expected to commence in late 2024, marking the next phase in the realisation of this innovative facility.