As Papua New Guinea celebrates another year of Independence, that idea continues to evolve.

Today, independence can also be seen through the investments Papua New Guineans make in their own future - transforming the benefits generated by the country’s natural resources into assets designed to create opportunities and value for generations to come.

Star Mountain Plaza is one example of that journey.
 

From Resource Wealth to Long-Term Value

Papua New Guinea is a country rich in natural resources. For decades, its mineral, oil and gas projects have generated economic benefits for landowners, provincial governments and communities across the country.

But natural resources are finite.

For the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC), this creates an important responsibility: how can the benefits generated from resource development continue to provide value for Papua New Guineans into the future?

MRDC is a State-owned company that manages benefits derived from Papua New Guinea’s mineral and petroleum projects. It serves as an important link between resource development and the management and distribution of benefits to landowners and provincial governments.

Its subsidiary companies also act as corporate trustees, holding and managing project benefits on behalf of landowner beneficiaries.

This creates an opportunity to look beyond the immediate benefits of resource development and invest for the longer term.

And in the heart of Port Moresby, that approach has taken physical form.
 

A Papua New Guinean Investment Story

Star Mountain Plaza Limited (SMPL) is an investment affiliate of the MRDC Group, operating in property development, hotel operations and retail.

Its ownership brings together Papua New Guinean resource landowner, provincial and State investment interests.

Star Mountain Plaza Limited brings together Papua New Guinean resource landowner, provincial and State investment interests within the MRDC Group.

The shareholders of SMPL include Mineral Resources Star Mountain Ltd, representing landowners in the Ok Tedi Mine; Mineral Resources Ok Tedi No. 2 Ltd, representing the Fly River Provincial Government; Mineral Resources CMCA Holdings Ltd, representing the CMCA region in Western Province; and Petroleum Resources Kutubu Ltd, representing landowners in the Kutubu Oil Project.

The fifth shareholder, Apec Infrastructure and Investment Company Limited, represents the State’s investment in SMPL.

This ownership structure is an important part of the Star Mountain Plaza story.

Behind the development are Papua New Guinean interests investing into an asset designed to create long-term value at home. It demonstrates how participation in the resource sector can extend beyond receiving benefits today and contribute to investments intended to serve future generations.

SMPL also operates under its own governance structure. Its Board of Directors is responsible for the company’s management, supervision and direction, bringing together representation from its shareholder interests alongside the Secretary of Mineral Policy & Geo-Hazard Management and the Managing Director of MRDC.

Together, that ownership and governance provide the foundation behind a development that has continued to grow over time.
 

An Investment That Continues to Grow

Today, Star Mountain Plaza encompasses hospitality, accommodation, conferences, dining and business facilities in Port Moresby.

Star Mountain Plaza has grown into an established mixed-use destination in the heart of Port Moresby.

At the centre of the precinct is the Hilton Port Moresby, completed in 2018 alongside convention facilities. Stage 2 expanded the precinct further with 180 Hilton-serviced apartments completed in 2024, while Hubworks provides coworking, private office and meeting facilities within the development.

Now, construction is underway on Stage 3, representing another phase in the precinct’s evolution.

Client-provided plans outline 11 floors of modern commercial spaces, 12,575 square metres of total net lettable area and 173 dedicated car parks, with spaces intended for office, retail and lifestyle businesses.

Stage 3 is also planned to introduce a wider mix of dining, entertainment and cultural spaces, including cinemas and a 450-seat National Performing Arts Centre.

This continued development demonstrates an important part of long-term investment: creating an asset that can evolve alongside the needs and ambitions of the city.
 

Ownership With a Longer View

There is a powerful connection between this story and Independence.

Since 1975, Papua New Guinea has been responsible for charting its own course as an independent nation. More than five decades later, building that future remains an ongoing process.

National progress is not defined only by what a country earns today. It is also shaped by how opportunities are managed, invested and carried forward to create greater resilience and prosperity for tomorrow.

Papua New Guinea’s cultural identity has helped shape the design of Star Mountain Plaza, reflecting a development grounded in its local context.

For resource landowners and provincial interests, this longer-term perspective is particularly important.

Natural resources cannot be extracted forever. But the benefits they generate can help create investments that extend beyond the operating life of the projects from which they originated.

Property, hospitality and commercial investments such as Star Mountain Plaza offer one way of carrying that value forward - creating assets that participate in Papua New Guinea’s broader economy and have the potential to continue generating opportunities over the long term.

In that sense, ownership becomes more than a financial stake.

It becomes part of a larger story about participation - Papua New Guinean landowner, provincial and State interests having a stake in the assets helping shape the country’s future.
 

Investing in What Comes Next

As Papua New Guinea celebrates Independence, there is much to reflect on with pride. But there is just as much reason to look forward.

The next chapter will be shaped by the opportunities created today, the investments made for tomorrow and the determination to ensure that the country’s wealth continues to create value for its people.

Star Mountain Plaza represents one tangible expression of that ambition.

From an investment bringing together Papua New Guinean resource landowner, provincial and State interests to a growing precinct in the heart of Port Moresby, its story demonstrates how the benefits created through the country’s resource sector can contribute to assets designed with a longer future in mind.

Because building Papua New Guinea’s future is not only about what we have today.

It is about what we choose to carry forward for the generations that follow.

Star Mountain Plaza. Part of the MRDC Group.

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