Tauranga iwi leader questions whether housing plan will help those most in need

Tauriko Business Estate, pictured in 2021, at the foot of the Kaimai Range where new housing could likely be built. Photo / George Novak

An iwi leader has supported a push to open up more land for housing, but has questioned whether it will help house those most in need.

Kāinga Ora announced last week it had selected Tauranga's Tauriko West, Keenan Rd and Tauriko Business Estate's lower Belk Rd extension for assessment as a potential Specified Development Project under the Urban Development Act 2020.

This area is also referred to as the Western Corridor.

The proposal could result in 7000 new homes in the next 10 to 20 years if it goes ahead.

The city council has asked the Government for help amid predictions of a shortage of homes which could reach 43,000 by 2048.

City commissioner Stephen Selwood said the medium-density housing proposal on Tauranga's Western Corridor could mean up to 4000 homes in Tauriko West, starting in 2025, and another up to 3000 in Keenan Rd, starting before 2030.

The estimate was based on 25 to 30 homes per hectare - roughly twice the density of Pāpāmoa East and The Lakes.

Selwood said in the long-term, envisaged growth areas on the Western Corridor such as Merrick Rd, Upper Joyce Rd, and Upper Belk Rd could accommodate a further 10,000 to more than 20,000 homes to help address the city's housing shortage.

He noted these areas were not part of the Specified Development Project at this point.

While supporting the push to open up land for housing development, Ngāi Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley was concerned those reaping the benefit would not be those that would need housing the most.

"Will they be the same people we are dealing with? I would argue that it's not," Stanley said.

Ngāi Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley. Photo / Mead Norton

In his opinion, those most likely to go into the Western Corridor housing would be "well-off" and not representative of those most desperately in need.

"In terms of the people who are struggling, they are not from outer Tauriko. They are from Merivale and some of the poorer neighbourhoods in town.

"You've got to ask yourself, is that where the need is? Who's getting served here?

"It's got to be more than just houses. It's a great step forward, but you have to take everybody with you."

Sustainable Bay of Plenty director Glen Crowther expressed concern about the locations that had been selected.

While the Specified Development Project could accelerate some aspects, funding remained a key question, he said.

Earlier this year, the city council pursued plans to use a Government's Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act model to progress its Transport System Plan and Tauriko West developments.

Despite this, Crowther was concerned Tauranga ratepayers would end up wearing the financial cost and the impacts of increased congestion and carbon emissions.

"The other key issue is that councils are now saying that sustainability and reducing carbon emissions are important considerations," he said.

In his view: "On that basis, fast-tracking Tauriko never made good sense. When you consider the topography and layout of The Lakes and Tauriko Business Estate and the projected huge increases in traffic counts from these new growth areas, Tauriko is not suitable for high-density, low-carbon neighbourhoods."

In response to these concerns, Selwood said a Specified Development Project would "enable full integration of transport and urban development planning, reduce carbon emissions, and increase land supply to both contain house price increases and unlock delivery of affordable homes".

Sustainable Bay of Plenty's Glen Crowther. Photo / John Borren

Selwood said significant transport improvements were planned to support the Western Corridor development, "including upgrades to SH29, delivery of a high-quality multi-modal transport corridor (public transport, cycling and walking) from Tauriko to the CBD via Cameron Rd, and a network of safe off-road cycling facilities".

It was expected that this would protect freight reliability to the Port of Tauranga, improve safety, and make it easier for people to get around.

"Planning for the co-location of homes, jobs, schools, and community facilities in the Western Corridor provides the opportunity for people to live, learn, work and play locally – thereby reducing the need to travel by car and the resultant carbon emissions.

"Provision of sufficient housing supply in itself is also critical to moderating predicted house price increases and ensuring that housing affordability does not get worse in the future."

Kāinga Ora's general manager of urban planning and design, Katja Lietz, said a huge benefit of establishing a Specified Development Project was the ability to facilitate and enable development in a considered and co-ordinated manner.

Tauranga City commissioner Stephen Selwood. Photo / Andrew Warner

The assessment was expected to be held over the coming months, and this would include extensive consultation with the council and community.

The assessment woiuld consider how best to meet the needs of the community, which included "ensuring the right mix of housing types, at a variety of price points, are available to address the housing demands of the area", Lietz said.

"We understand the need to ensure there are housing options for a diverse range of people and whānau in Tauranga. The housing challenges that Tauranga is experiencing are significant, and they won't be solved through an SDP or any other single initiative alone."

This was partly why Kāinga Ora bought a 95ha site at Ferncliffe Farm in Tauriko West "with a focus on increasing affordable housing options [...]".

In 2020, Kāinga Ora was granted development powers to initiate and undertake large-scale comprehensive urban development under the Act.

The powers circumvent Resource Management Act complications by consolidating all the separate paperwork needed for the area as one project and potentially speeding up the development process by streamlining it.