Work continues to truck along for a new university-led tertiary campus in the heart of Tauranga city.

A time lapse video recently uploaded to Waikato University's YouTube channel shows the progress on the new campus, which is being led by University of Waikato on behalf of the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Partnership.

Work is set to be complete by 2019 with the campus open to students by 2020.

It is expected to enhance the range of qualifications and study options available to students in the Bay of Plenty.

University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley says the new campus is an exciting milestone for the Bay of Plenty community.

'It's important for the region that we can attract or retain young people who will make the Bay of Plenty even stronger,” says Neil. 'This campus, which will be one of the most significant developments in the region in many years, will do that for the region.”

Meanwhile Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chairman Doug Leeder is excited at the prospects of more students being attracted to the region and the business-focussed research and development opportunities that this provides.

'The agreement on the Tertiary Campus shows the strength of our regional partnerships, and what can be achieved through vision and collaboration,” says Doug.

'This campus will deliver improved educational and economic opportunities, and is a major part of our commitment to economic development through our Regional Infrastructure Fund.”

TECT Chairperson Bill Holland says they are extremely pleased that an agreement has been reached by all parties on the future direction of the project.

'We have always believed that the University campus is an important and exciting project for the city,” says Bill, 'and although there is still plenty of work ahead, this is a significant milestone.”

It's expected that following the development of the campus, 8000 tertiary students will study in the Bay of Plenty over a 17-year period.