Wesley – new town announced to Franklin businesses

Media statement 25 August 2016

For immediate release

Wesley – new town announced to Franklin businesses

An enthusiastic audience of Franklin and Auckland business interests last night attended the first public announcement of Wesley, a new town of 5,000 homes with transport hub and extensive amenities to be built close to Pukekohe.

Chris Johnston, spokesperson for the joint venture partners – Wesley College Trust Board and Grafton Downs Ltd – outlined the planning and progress achieved to date and what will happen over the next 12-18 months.

‘Wesley has been a decade in the planning,’ he said. ‘Our priority in building this new town, is to have sufficient funds to maintain Wesley College and provide for its students in perpetuity.’

Mr Johnston explained that students are substantially funded for the duration of their education at Wesley, a tradition that has existed since the 1840s when it was first established in Grafton, Auckland.

‘We are the longest established private secondary school in New Zealand and we have a proud history of benefactors who have contributed to several of our buildings that now have heritage status.’

A new College would be built on the Wesley land and several of the heritage buildings would be repurposed and incorporated into the new town’s centre.

‘In development terms, Wesley will be unique in 21st century New Zealand. It looks to the future. Wesley will be a well-connected town with high-speed broadband and it will have a rail station. The Ministry of Education has already confirmed we will have a new public primary school. In business terms, we don’t intend to replicate what already exists in Pukekohe. We will be complementary not competitive.’

Mr Johnston said the ground-breaking ceremony would take place on Saturday 1 October with a dawn karakia to bless the site. Infrastructure construction would follow with the first tranche of 300 homes due to begin in the summer of 2017.

Local businessman Glen Beal told the audience that the prospect of the new town was ‘tremendously exciting.’ It would bring new people to Franklin which would prosper as a result.

‘High-speed broadband will bring more opportunities particularly organisations and businesses who operate within the area. We will welcome a whole new town adding diversity, vibrancy and energy. Our existing community brings a rich history and shared pride and passion for Franklin. Wesley will bring new businesses, facilities, opportunities and fresh perspectives.'

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Background notes:

About Wesley – the new town

• Wesley is a joint venture between Grafton Downs Ltd and Wesley College Trust Board.

• The name ‘Wesley’ has been chosen because of its historical connection to the College and the land where the town will be built. It has been received positively by the Franklin community.

• 5,000 homes are planned for the new town on 294ha within five minutes of Pukekohe. The development will be fully landscaped in keeping with its rural environs.

• The project has been under development for the last 10 years and is now at the stage where infrastructure and construction can begin.

• It is the first new town undertaken by one entity with an active development role and ongoing/retained ownership of some elements.

• The new town will bring fresh business opportunities to the Franklin area.

About Wesley College

• The first Wesley College was built at Grafton Auckland in 1844. It moved to a larger site in the suburb of Three Kings in 1848.

• In 1914, four members of the College Board – Andrew Caughey, George Winstone, Stephen Ambury and Rev Joseph Simmonds bought the land at Paerata North in Franklin from local farmer Andrew Casey.

• The land was transferred to the Wesley College Board in 1918. In 1922, the pupils transferred from Three Kings to their new site.

• Since then, the College has provided a full scholastic and boarding facility.

• Many of its heritage buildings including Wesley Chapel have been gifted by Auckland benefactors. They will be retained and repurposed for the new town which will add to its history.

• The school has produced some notable pupils including Sir Richard Taylor, Temuera Morrison, Ian Mune, and several international rugby players including Jona Lomu.

• The Wesley College Trust Board aims to provide education for its pupils in perpetuity. The income generated from farming the land wouldn’t be able to achieve the Board’s long term mission which is why the new town is being built.

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Why build a new town?

It’s a good question. Over time, the income that has been generated from farming our land hasn’t allowed us to achieve our mission and aim of providing education at Wesley College for generations to come.

We realised we needed to do something that was long-lasting and that would enable us to increase the number of students at Wesley and at the same time be able to continue to give them the best education possible.

So, we did our homework, and as I said earlier, it’s taken nearly a decade. The changes to land-use have helped us, as has the huge increase in people wanting to live and work in the Auckland region.

Franklin is a proud rural community with a strong urban heart here in Pukekohe. Our aim is to build a new town of 5,000 homes, with the best in design, access, amenities and scope. Wesley will be close to the major suppliers and industry in Pukekohe.

We don’t intend replicating what Pukekohe offers. We will have a business hub and a compact retail centre which will complement existing Pukekohe businesses.

And, we are doing things differently. When people register on our website, they will be invited to say what they would like for their new town – what their interests and hobbies are for example, whether they work from home or whether they travel.

We’re excited about the possibilities for Wesley and how the town will develop and flourish. As I said earlier, we are planning for how we will live in the future.

We know, that there are plenty of challenges ahead and we look forward to working with existing local businesses to make positive progress.

Our forefathers were pioneers in education and in the development of Auckland’s business community. They helped shape what we are able to achieve today.

In many ways, it is a proud moment for us and I hope it will be an inspirational moment for Franklin’s business community, to get involved and to be part of the new town of Wesley. I hope you have all left your business cards in the bowl at the front desk, or give your contact details to our team and we will keep you up to date with what’s happening.

I won’t say any more at this stage, and I invite Glen Beal to say a few words.

Thank you.

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