The site of the new TGH residential zone, to be called Tuumata. It will provide for a range of housing including standalone houses, duplex dwellings, terrace houses, apartments and papa kāinga.
The site of the new TGH residential zone, to be called Tuumata. It will provide for a range of housing including standalone houses, duplex dwellings, terrace houses, apartments and papa kāinga.
As the city council identifies Hamilton suburbs where new housing is restricted because of a lack of wastewater capacity, Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) has applied to rezone 68 hectares near its Ruakura Superhub from industrial to residential for up to 1300 new homes.
Residential development has long been floated as part of TGH’s Ruakura Superhub, where a number of large industrial developments are under way or completed.
In details announced on Tuesday (April 18) a third of the proposed 68ha housing site is reserved for managing stormwater using a “sponge” solution of swales and wetlands, along with neighbourhood reserves, green links/pocket parks, plus planted local and neighbourhood streets.
The Superhub is adjacent to the TGH-initiated Ruakura Inland Port and Logistics Hub, which is projected to have between 6000 and 12,000 employees when fully complete.
Also nearby is the Waikato Innovation Park which is home to more than 60 businesses, with a focus on agritech, information technology and added-value food.
Just over the road, the University of Waikato has around 13,000 students and 1500 staff.
TGH, the commercial arm of Waikato-Tainui, says it is responding to long-term housing challenges in Hamilton by seeking the rezoning to residential. TGH’s application for a private plan change was publicly notified by the Hamilton City Council on Tuesday.
The proposed development is called Tuumata, which means “to lift one’s eyes above the horizon and onto a new future”, TGH says in a press released. The Tuumata Block is only 2.5-3 kilometres from the Hamilton CBD.
The Ruakura Superhub is under development on Hamilton's eastern boundary.
The proposed plan change would rezone the land from its current industrial zoning to a new Tuumata Residential Zone, Open Space and Neighbourhood Centre.
It comes as the Hamilton City Council recently identified a number of suburbs elsewhere across the city as having “limited or no capacity” for new housing development, due to constraints in wastewater capacity.
TGH CEO Chris Joblin says the area involved has been identified since 2016 in strategic planning documents for the city and region as being a priority for higher-density residential development, and is well-placed to be served by future frequent public transport links.
“We have taken care to fine-tune the design and infrastructure to deliver a compact and environmentally superior development in a place that is close to the major employment hub, Ruakura, and well-serviced by existing and future transport connections,” Joblin says.
TGH’s plans provide for between 1100 and 1300 new medium-density residential homes accommodating around 3000 residents, at different price points to create a community. The residential zone will provide for a range of housing including standalone houses, duplex dwellings, terrace houses, apartments and papa kāinga, to achieve an average density of 50 houses per hectare.
A proposed Tuumata Neighbourhood Centre will occupy 2ha of land on the corner of the Fifth Ave Extension and the main north-south collector road. It would have around 6000sq m of retail space, including provision for a supermarket, small tenancy retail, restaurants, cafes and licensed premises and food and beverage outlets. Childcare facilities, community centres, gyms and passenger transport facilities are also provided in the zone.
If the plan change is approved, development at Tuumata is anticipated to be developed over a 10-year period and would need to be supported by an extension of Fifth Ave across Wairere Drive, connecting to a new Eastern Transport Corridor running through Ruakura to the east.
A flyover view of how the huge development could look in the future.
The location, between 5th Ave and the AgResearch campus, adjoins nearby residential suburbs and will support further improvement of public transport services close to the CBD, university and employment.
“We are planning a high level of connectivity within and beyond Tuumata, including through a new network of roads, cycleways and footpaths, new open spaces and well-designed buildings and public places offering attractive, useable and safe environments for future residents and visitors,” Joblin says.
GH says it has worked with the Tangata Whenua Working Group for Ruakura to incorporate mana whenua values into future development, including through the design and naming of public spaces and roads and other public linkages in a way that reflects and celebrates the history and whakapapa of tangata whenua of the area.
The Hamilton-Waikato metro area is the third fastest-growing urban area in the country and the population is expected to double in the next 50-100 years. The city is also one of five Tier One growth areas in the National Policy Statement - Urban Development 2020, requiring significant capacity planning.
TGH is an experienced residential developer with a track record of delivering quality developments such as Huntington, Rotokauri Rise and Te Kaarearea over the past 20 years. The company manages around $1.7 billion of assets for Waikato-Tainui. Major projects currently include the development of the 490-ha Ruakura Superhub, and two projects nearing completion: a new centre for ACC in central Hamilton and Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel (with joint venture partner Auckland International Airport Ltd).
