Rotorua housing development: 202 new homes at Ngongotahā edge closer

New details around a major housing development in Ngongotahā have been revealed in planning documents before commissioners tasked with deciding whether to approve it.

The development’s first stage proposes 202 houses at 31 Ngongotahā Rd, near Rotorua.

There will be a large wetland area at the site’s rear which developers say will mitigate flooding issues - a concern for residents and iwi.

It is proposed there will be two entrances, new roads, improvements to Ngongotahā Rd and a possible speed limit reduction in the area from 80km/h to 50km/h.

The proposed wetland at the new Ngongotahā housing development.

Planning documents as part of the resource consent process say the project will have a $105m economic impact, create more than 880 fulltime jobs and have several “tangible and significant positive effects” including helping relieve the housing shortage.

History of the site at 31 Ngongotahā Rd

The Government bought the 15.9 ha site at 31 Ngongotahā Rd in 2022 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work with Auckland developer Watchman Residential to build 350 publicly and privately owned homes in three stages over a decade.

The site was first considered for a project involving 80 homes in 2018 but concerns about flooding and congestion led to its rejection by then-Housing Minister Megan Woods.

Woods concluded there were several issues including the site being “reasonably complex” because it was near Waitetī Stream, and its potential to increase flood hazard to downstream properties.

The proposed new houses at the Ngongotahā development include stand-alone homes, duplexes and terraced and apartment-style homes..

But four years later, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development bought the site for $8 million to build 350 homes in an attempt to ease Rotorua’s housing crisis.

The project was accepted for fast-track consenting under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting Act 2020 last June. A resource consent application was lodged in December.

Three independent commissioners were appointed in April. They requested more information from the developers. The latest plans are now before the commissioners.

What’s planned?

The site plan showing the different stages of Ngongotahā's housing development.

Watchman Residential’s plans include building 202 dwellings in different housing types, including stand-alone homes, duplexes and terraced and apartment-style homes.

There will be 160 individual freehold residential lots, four lots for the apartments, six private jointly-owned access lanes and six shared parking areas alongside new public roads.

Stage one includes establishing an extensive artificial wetland for ecological enhancement, flood management and stormwater treatment and will double as a recreation area with a walking track. Planning documents say the wetland will be vested as a drainage area with Rotorua Lakes Council.

The proposed homes feature a range of designs.

The May planning report, by resource management specialists Campbell Brown Planning, said it supported the development and having considered the actual and potential effects, the proposal would generate “no more than minor adverse effects that, subject to appropriate conditions of resource consent, will be avoided, remedied or mitigated”.

The document said the proposal was in line with district and regional council plans, did not offend iwi management plans and ticked boxes for appropriate consultation with iwi and other stakeholders.

The document said the proposal should satisfy the matters the commissioners were required to assess and should be granted resource consent.

An economic impact study found the five-year stage-one development was estimated to bring in $105 million, would employ more than 250 people during peak development and more than 880 people overall over five years.

Watchman Residential director Marcus Jacobson. Photo / Andrew Warner

Watchman Residential director Marcus Jacobson told the Rotorua Daily Post he took the three commissioners - Phil Lang, John Olliver and James Whetu - for a walk over the site on Friday, June 7.

He said the commissioners would now consider the application, which he estimated could take about three months.

Reaction

A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman told the Rotorua Daily Post the panel had invited comments from the ministry as the land’s administrator and it had filed a supporting letter.

Stages two and three would need a plan change through Rotorua Lakes Council, the spokesman said.

Wallace Haumaha speaks at a public meeting over the housing development. Photo / Andrew Warner

Kaumātua Wallace Haumaha told the Rotorua Daily Post Jacobson had been in regular contact with him.

“Our main interest and concern is in relation to our Waitetī awa including a significant increase in vehicle traffic with 202 houses proposed for the site.”

He said Ngāti Ngararanui and Ngāti Tuteaiti iwi had recorded their concerns with Watchman Residential in a cultural assessment. Concerns included a need to respect sites of cultural significance along the Waiteti Stream and its tributaries and surrounds. It also raised issues of stormwater run-off increasing flood levels in the Waitetī Stream and increasing flow rates eroding the stream.

The assessment suggested a range of ways it could mitigate the iwi’s concerns, including in-depth research and consultation with kaumātua, having strict cultural monitoring policies during construction and fencing off waahi tapu (sacred) sites.

Haumaha said Waitetī Stream was the most prominent landmark of Ngāti Ngararanui descendants and gave their turangawaewae, their sense of belonging and their status as an iwi.

“The Waitetī Stream has been the homeland of Ngāti Ngararanui and is one of deep cultural and spiritual significance.

“The Waitetī Stream identifies Ngāti Ngararanui as an autonomous iwi of Ngāti Whakaue, an iwi charged with the responsibility of kaitiakitanga of the waters. It is the single most prominent landmark that signposts the heartland of Ngāti Ngararanui.”

Correction: The homepage headline on this article originally stated that 202 homes would create nearly 900 jobs. This is not correct and the headline has been updated.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.