Top Rotorua developer Tony Bradley to build 35 homes for Kāinga Ora on Fairy Springs Rd and Lake Rd

A well-known Rotorua developer will build 35 homes for Kāinga Ora despite worries branching out into social housing could hit his reputation.

“They are not your cheap, cheap boxes,” Tony Bradley from TPB Properties told the Rotorua Daily Post of the two-storey homes to be built along one of the Bay of Plenty city’s main tourist gateways.

“It’s something I have to drive past each day and I want to be proud of them … We need it and I can do it.”

Bradley, who has previously specialised in commercial developments and modern residential housing, will develop two new housing projects on the main northern route into Rotorua.

The homes on Fairy Springs Rd and Lake Rd will be sold to Kāinga Ora when finished.

It is part of a significant push to build state housing in Rotorua to move people out of motels and address a housing crisis, with more than 500 Kāinga Ora homes to be built across the city.

TPB Properties is developing these sites on Fairy Springs Rd and Lake Rd with the intention to sell them to Kāinga Ora when finished. Photo / Andrew Warner

A Kāinga Ora spokeswoman said 20 two and three-bedroom houses were being built at 139 Lake Rd, near the roundabout at Railway Rd. The homes would be finished by late 2024.

Fences have just gone up around a site at 149 to 151 Fairy Springs Rd, on the corner with Amokura St, where 15 two-bedroom houses will be built by 2025.

Bradley told the Rotorua Daily Post he was initially worried his involvement in social housing would impact his reputation but he promised the homes would be architecturally designed and would look smart.

“I have always let my developing do the talking. I realise I will have some people who will give me a bit of stick.”

Artist impression of Kainga Ora housing development on Fairy Springs Rd.

Bradley said given he was from Rotorua he had more invested than most in making sure they were good projects.

“I live in this town and I’d like to think all of my developments have had a positive spinoff for the city.”

Bradley said he was using quality designs and materials and they would not look like Kāinga Ora houses.

State homes at Rotorua tourist gateway concern resident

Letters to neighbouring residents had already been sent about the Lake Rd development and residents near the Fairy Springs Rd development would soon receive information as well, after resource consent for that development was recently granted.

A Rotorua resident who lives near one of the developments, who did not want to be named for fear of backlash, raised concerns about the projects, saying while Rotorua needed new houses, having social housing on the main northern tourist entry was not a good look.

He said the Fairy Springs Rd site was a prime corner on what was becoming a nice tourist strip.

What new Kāinga Ora homes on Fairy Springs Rd will look like.

“It could be the new Motel Mile,” he said in reference to what Fenton St used to be called before emergency housing took over many of the visitor motels.

He said such a site opposite Skyline Rotorua would have been better earmarked for a nice motel or cafe.

Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said locations were always carefully considered to make sure people would live well there as part of the wider community.

“Both these developments are well located for schooling, supermarkets and local shops, public transport, and local reserves and outdoor space nearby. They are also in a well-established part of the city with mixed residential and businesses, which also offer local employment opportunities.”

An artist's impression of what the new homes on Lake Rd will look like.

He said Kāinga Ora was mindful of having homes spread across the city, not just in a few suburbs.

“With the strong need for more housing in Rotorua and in support of the Housing Accord, we continue to explore further opportunities.”

Toy said working with developers meant they could meet the demand quicker. Other ways it built houses was by replacing older houses often on large sections with multiple modern homes or buying land to build houses.

“At the same time these developments also support build and development partners, and mean jobs for locals who build these homes.”

An artist's impression of what the new homes on Lake Rd will look like.

TPB Properties’ development would add to another on the northern entrance to the city at 99 Fairy Springs Rd, which is in the construction stage. That project by RRSA Developments will see six two-bedroom homes available at the end of next year.

There are about 900 families on the Housing Register waiting for state homes in Rotorua.

Kāinga Ora has more than 500 homes in planning stages or under way in Rotorua.

Since June last year, there have been 115 new houses built in Rotorua by Kāinga Ora. These include 25 new three and four-bedroom houses on the corner of Malfroy Rd and Ranolf St and 42 new two-to-four-bedroom houses on Quartz Ave in Pukehangi.

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.