Hukutaia Housing Plan Takes Step Forward, Despite Concerns

Saturday, 22 March 2025, 7:49 pm
Article: Diane McCarthy - Local Democracy Reporter

20 March 

Councillor Tom Brooks has spoken out against plans to rezone rural Hukutaia to residential, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, saying there needs to be jobs before building homes.

The Hukutaia Growth Area, south-west of Ōpōtiki township, includes land between Ōpōtiki Golf Club and Woodlands School, some parts of which are already residential.

A project brief was presented at an Ōpōtiki District Council meeting on Tuesday with options for councillors, including applying for a Streamlined Planning Process with limited consultation and appeal opportunities.

Councillor Tom Brooks was worried about the streamlined process, the cost of infrastructure necessary for development falling on ratepayers and lack of information about which areas will be zoned mixed use residential and commercial.

"I think this is putting the cart before the horse. If we haven’t got any industry in town to attract people here,” he said.

“Jobs will make [the town] attractive, so I think that’s the area we need to be looking at first.”

He asked who was going to pay for the necessary service upgrades to infrastructure, such as stormwater and wastewater.

Strategy and development group manager Antoinette Campbell said the council was in the process of developing a development contributions policy to fund growth in the area.

“That was tried before though, and it was not backed,” Mr Brooks said.

Councillor Barry Howe said the council would fund the necessary infrastructure through a loan, which would be repaid through development contributions.

“So, overall, it won’t be a huge burden on ratepayers.”

Mr Howe also addressed Mr Brooks’ concerns about growing industry, saying that the rezoning of some commercial areas into industrial was another piece of work that had been discussed at a council workshop in February.

“That work is in progress as we speak. It’s just that this one has come forward first.”

Mr Howe suggested the reason for zoning for commercial activity might be to accommodate a retirement village.

But Mr Brooks said the report was vague on this issue.

“If I was a resident up there, I’s be wanting to know, if you’re going to designate it commercial, what’s going in there,” he said.

Mayor David Moore felt the rezoning was well overdue.

“It should have been done in the district plan change in 2016-17,” he said.

In response to Mr Brooks’ suggestion to create jobs first, he said, “So you’ll have a factory, you’ll have all the workers, and nowhere to live”.

Chief executive Stace Lewer reminded councillors that the report before them was only about carrying out a plan change. The development of infrastructure would be a separate tranche of work that would need to come back to council for a decision.

Mr Brooks said he had no problem with growth.

"I’m just saying if people are going to do it, it should be the developers that pay the cost, not the ratepayer.”

In response, Mr Moore said Mr Brooks had not attended enough meetings to be well informed about the issues.

“If you came to all the workshops, you actually wouldn’t have to ask half of these questions,” he said.

According to meeting minutes, Mr Brooks attended only two of the seven workshops held between July and December last year.

However, Mr Brooks said as far as he was aware, he had attended most workshops unless he had been on annual leave.
“If I don’t get to a workshop, there is usually a reason,” he told Local Democracy Reporting.

At the meeting, Mr Brooks also raised concerns about ratepayers and Hukutaia residents not being consulted.”

Project manager Arsalan Karim said engagement with key stakeholders would take place before the application for the streamlined process and it would be up to the relevant minister whether they felt enough engagement had taken place.

Councillor Dean Petersen also voiced his concern that ratepayers be consulted.

The council has had plans to rezone Hukutaia from rural to residential since 2021.

Based on investigations carried out in the development of the Eastern Bay Spatial Plan, Ōpōtiki is projected to need up to 2280 more houses over the next 30 years. The Hukutaia Growth Area rezoning could make development of at least 2000 sections possible.

The area was identified as suitable for development because of its proximity to town services, elevation above flood zones, abundance of land and opportunities for iwi-led investment in housing.

An option was also presented at Tuesday’s meeting to use an external consultant organisation to lead the process. This was decided against as it would increase costs.

The plan change is estimated to cost the council $400,000 to $500,000, which it will pay for from funds set aside in its economic development reserve for the purpose. The reserve currently has a balance of $634,000.

The council, with the exception of Mr Brooks, voted to adopt the project plan.

If accepted by the relevant minister for streamlined planning, the rezoning is expected to become operational by mid-2027.

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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