Where PDIHQ will be
PDIHQ is planned for Blue Mountain Campus in Upper Hutt, Wellington: a strategic innovation hub where KiwiRail and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) are anchor tenants of the wider campus. Upper Hutt City Council has confirmed PDIHQ as a qualifying tenant under the campus rates remission agreement, which passes rates remission directly to operating tenants through June 2033.
The facility is a 2,500 square metre, two-storey design. Willis Bond, the construction partner, has committed $10 million towards its construction. It is planned to contain 12 tenancies of approximately 150 square metres each, combining ground-floor laboratory and workshop space with first-floor offices, configurable to each resident's needs. Final layouts and specifications will be confirmed during detailed design and resident engagement.
Inside the building
Every space is planned to let residents commercialise and scale on site, then move into independent premises as a larger company.
Modern private offices. Closed, not open-plan. Designed for the focus and IP confidentiality that STEM commercialisation requires.
Specialist laboratories designed to support companies working across biotech, clean tech, deep tech, and consumer product development, with final requirements confirmed during detailed design and resident engagement. Shared infrastructure will reduce the time and cost involved in establishing specialist space.
Planned shared workshops with CNC machines, 3D printers (FDM and resin), lathes, milling machines, laser cutters, routers, welding bays, assembly benches, and standard machine tools, with booking and access management across residents.
Reconfigurable meeting rooms, shared workshop areas for collaborative projects, shared lounge, educational makerspace for STEM youth programmes, welcome space and reception, kitchen and dining, changing facilities, loading accessway, parking, and green space for community use.
Layout
The feasibility design places laboratory and workshop space on the ground floor, with private offices above on the first floor, and shared spaces distributed across both levels. Approved high-level facility information will be included in the Investor Pack. Final layouts will be confirmed during detailed design and resident engagement.
Architectural drawings are being finalised and are not published on this preview site.
Expressions of interest from prospective residents are open now.