State houses out, but HNZ still in charge

A state housing business is running the 3000-house Hobsonville Point project despite no state houses being built there.

Hobsonville Land Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Housing NZ Corporation, is leading the planning and delivery of the redevelopment with Australia's AVJennings, which is overseeing the four local builders.

But the Government has pulled back from developing state rental houses on the land, the National-led coalition axing that plan hatched by the Labour-led coalition.

Asked why a Housing NZ Corp business was in charge when no Housing NZ Corp houses were being built, Hobsonville Land Company chief executive Sean Bignell said the overall vision remained in place.

The Government still had a commitment to an affordable housing component at Hobsonville, he said. That was why the business was continuing.

Richard Didsbury, a co-founder of Kiwi Income Property Trust, is chairman of the Hobsonville Land Company/AVJennings Management Committee and Housing NZ Corporation chairman Pat Sneddon is chairman of the Hobsonville Land Company board.

Sections are now being formed in preparation for construction of the first 660 places in the Buckley precinct where earthworks started on October 1 last year.

The Squadron Drive offramp, giving west-bound motorists direct access from the Hobsonville motorway to the new project, is well-formed but yet to be sealed. The bridge over the motorway for the new interchange is in place and the north-facing motorway onramp is under construction.

These earthworks are kicking up as much dust as massive earthmoving equipment at Hobsonville Point, creating the first sections. Five bridges are part of the project: at Hobsonville Road, Trig Road, Brigham Creek Road, Squadron Drive and Totara Creek.

NZ Transport Agency said the $220 million project to create the 6km four-lane Hobsonville motorway was the last section of the new SH18 to be completed.