Gisborne council explores medium-density housing to address crisis

An example of potential home options for the Gisborne region, as shown in the draft design guide for residential development in urban areas. Image / Gisborne District Council

Gisborne District Council is exploring medium-density housing options to combat the city’s housing crisis and meet the region’s economic needs.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz says the council is mindful of maintaining the character of the old Victorian buildings while encouraging development in Gisborne’s urban centre.

“We do want to see development, but we don’t just immediately want to see 10 three-storey buildings going up like you see in England where they have those housing estates.”

The council is working on a blueprint for the future housing needs of the growing city, which will help guide plans for areas such as Kaiti, Elgin, the city centre, and Awapuni.

During last Wednesday’s Tairāwhiti Resource Management Committee meeting, council staff sought direction from elected members on approaching a new residential, urban mixed-use zoning framework for the region, which would see more urban living in the city centre and more living options in the residential areas.

After reviewing a draft residential design guide - which featured a variety of homes, including detached, semi-detached (duplexes), terrace housing, and apartments - councillors voted for staff to explore medium-density options for the new urban framework for residential zones.

Stoltz said “medium density” was about pace and character.

The council wanted development and wanted to see it with urgency, but most importantly it wanted to engage with the community.

The council’s Future Development Strategy aims to provide 5400 new homes over the next 30 years, accounting for the projected population increase to 2054.

Three-quarters of these homes (4050) will be in existing urban areas, according to a council report discussed at the meeting.

The Government’s direction for the strategy requires it to achieve “well-functioning urban environments”, including a variety of homes, good accessibility between housing, jobs, community services, natural and open spaces, and to support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

For the urban plan change to progress, the council needs to update parts of the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan, which currently mostly allows for homes in low-density, suburban-style neighbourhoods, the report said.

Stoltz said the developments must complement where people live and not create unintended consequences, such as too many cars on the road and insufficient drainage.

“It’s not just the roads and the pipes. It is also the parks and the green spaces to make it a place where people want to live and raise their kids.”

The council’s Future Development Strategy aims to provide 5400 new homes over the next 30 years, accounting for the projected population increase. Image / Gisborne District Council

Historical inequality between areas

During the meeting, councillors raised questions of equality when examining how affluent areas were historically treated over lower-economic ones.

Councillor Rawinia Parata said the council must be careful about whether the high Māori population areas were being treated differently to areas with a lot of “affluent Pākehā people”, using Kaiti and the beachside area of Wainui as examples.

She also cautioned against duplexes, referring to ones in Wellington, where people “felt like they were living with the people they share a wall with ... they weren’t good happy places to live in”.

Councillor Aubrey Ria said the medium-density blocks (duplexes) she saw when visiting Christchurch worked well. However, she did not fully agree with how the report had zoned Kaiti.

“For that area to maintain its integrity and charm, the general residential zoning should be limited to Wainui Road - between Wainui Rd and a block up and a block down ... but not spread wider or further than that.”

Ria said many Kaiti residents had already opposed the building of two-storey Kāinga Ora homes in that area.

With a general residential zoning classification, a three-storey building could be put right next to a family home, she said.

Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga said perhaps the intensification of housing could happen around Wainui where there was a Four Square and cafe, and where young couples might want to live.

Kaiti had an issue of being treated inequitably, he said, noting the sewage scours that were still opened during heavy rainfall.

“Let’s not kid ourselves that there hasn’t been inequity regarding what council has done previously.”

To progress the future development strategy, the council is undertaking master planning for Kaiti, Elgin, the city centre and Awapuni.

These plans provide a framework for where infrastructure, services and improvements are needed, according to the council report.

The commercial pockets in Elgin, Lytton West, and Kaiti are proposed as “neighbourhood centre zones” and allow for small-scale commercial activities like cafes, retail and offices and “mini-scale community activities”.

The key elements for the urban plan changes include zoning improvements, infrastructure planning, support for Māori housing development, environmental sustainability, and community and stakeholder engagement.

‘Times have changed’

Stolz said they were trying to create a region where there was something for everyone.

“Times have changed” since every family lived on a big section with just one family home, she said.

“It’s not that that’s not available anymore. People don’t want to live like that anymore, so we want to accommodate everything. Some people want a nice tidy, warm home with all the amenities and walking distance or public transport available to accommodate that,” she said.

The report says the next steps for the council are to progress urban master plan workshops and community engagement in early 2025, with public notification of the urban plan change by June and appeals and hearings expected to take up most of 2025 and run into 2026.