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The sleepy spa town of Waiwera, 30 minutes north of Auckland, is set to be transformed beyond recognition if a development scheme valued at up to $700 million gets the go-ahead.
The population of 250 will soar to around 2000 under the proposed scheme, which will include a five-star apartment/hotel facility, luxury apartments, health spa, restaurants, bars and shops.
More than 12ha of land on hills overlooking the village have been earmarked for apartments - to be known as Waiwera Heights.
Waiwera, known for its hot pools and water slides, will be redeveloped into a town which the developers say will be a flagship for urban design. They hope to recreate its original character as an upmarket spa, connected by water access to Auckland.
"It will be quite a change to the concept of Waiwera compared to what it has been," said Dan McEwan, of McEwan Group, who is leading a number of investors involved in the project. "It's getting back to what it used to be."
So far, the developers have resource consent for a 215-unit apartment/hotel. Applications for the rest of the development are being prepared. McEwan said he expected it would take between five and eight years to complete, subject to consents, and would cost $600 million to $700 million.
The effect on tiny Waiwera will be overwhelming. Hana Norman, from the Waiwera Motel, described the village as "a small island". "It's a laidback place, but the peace and tranquillity will be gone. It's okay adding onto it, but not going overboard."
But Waiwera electrician Jonathan Bennett welcomed the impending changes. "It's crying out for that in Waiwera - as long as the infrastructure can handle it. It will create a buzz."
"We are looking forward to it," said Kiran Chandra, of the Waiwera Minimart. "Most people don't know where Waiwera is. More people will be aware of it and it will bring more tourists. It will be great."
Rodney District Mayor Penny Webster said there was still some way to go in the consents process before the whole development was allowed to proceed. "It doesn't worry me if the infrastructure is there to handle it and the design is okay," she said. "These areas have been identified as growth nodes. Obviously there are going to be people concerned about it. We are looking at how we can get the best outcome for Waiwera."
McEwan said he believed it was better to develop Waiwera "in a sympathetic way, to create a village atmosphere" rather than have it done "piecemeal".
He said consultations with the community had been going on "behind the scenes" and he expected public meetings would be held soon to explain the proposals.
He described public reaction so far as "extremely positive and cooperative" and denied the upmarket nature of the development would make it elitist.
The apartments will be priced from $400,000 to $2 million.
"I wouldn't call that elitist," said McEwan.
