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Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says he has ''never seen anything'' like Dunedin's waterfront development plan, following a visit to the city this week.
Mr Jones, the man in charge of the Government's $1 billion regional economic development fund, was in Dunedin on Tuesday for meetings to discuss whether the city's harbourside vision could tap into the fund.
He met businessman Ian Taylor and architect Damien van Brandenburg to view models of the development and visit Steamer Basin, before dining with Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull to discuss the project and the regional fund.
Mr Jones said yesterday he was ''quite overwhelmed'' by the waterfront plan.
''Something in Dunedin of such a scale is - the word that comes to mind is epochal.
''It represents, in my view, ushering in a whole new phase, or epoch, of Dunedin.
''I've never seen anything in any other provincial city approaching the scale of what was depicted to me.''
It was too soon to commit to funding, ''but the project has certainly made a strong impression on me'', he said.
As a result, Mr Jones had told Mr Cull a co-ordinated governance group was needed as a central point of contact, representing the project's promoters as well as landowners, councils and other stakeholders.
Mr Jones had also asked for fortnightly updates ahead of the regional development fund's next funding round in September, and expected to see a proposal to help pay for the project on his desk by then.
And, ''sooner rather than later'', he wanted a meeting between Dunedin's representatives and himself, Economic Development Minister David Parker, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and their officials, to discuss what the Crown can do ''to help move it forward''.
Mr Cull said his meeting had been ''very constructive and positive'', and he was ''quite confident Dunedin is a prime candidate'' for the regional fund.
It was too soon to say what amount of money might be requested, or exactly when, but a bid needed to be done carefully as well as with ''some urgency''.
Work to agree on a ''cohesive, unified mechanism'' to lead waterfront development in the city was close to completion, and an announcement was expected in about a month, he said.
Mr Taylor was also excited to see the project's positive reception, but said the waterfront vision predated the regional development fund and would happen with, or without, its support.
It had already captured the imagination not just of the city, but the country, in part because it was not just about buildings, he said.
It showed other cities how to work together, and it would also help prepare Dunedin to be a ''centre of excellence'' for climate change, sea level rise and sustainability, he said.