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Te Patukurea Spatial Plan for Kerikeri/Waipapa

The Draft Spatial Plan which will guide our town’s growth over the next 30 years, considers six locations for housing and commercial opportunities (Options A to F).  The council’s public consultation data ranks Options D (south of the CBD along Kerikeri Road) and E (east of Waipapa) highest and Option F lowest. After three years of stakeholder and community engagement (favouring Option F), only 700 feedback responses were collected from a population of over 14,000. 

What is option F?

Option F is a greenfield development proposed by the local landowner of the Brownlie Farm, between Kerikeri Golf Course and the new Council sports fields on SH10 in Waipapa with space for up to 4,000 new homes. The developer plans to cover infrastructure expenses for roadworks between Kerikeri CBD and Waipapa, cycle and walking tracks, water, wastewater, electricity, a possible 4.5-star hotel, recreational areas, and flood mitigation.  


Greenfield development tends to have lower costs compared to piecemeal brownfield development. Lower cost of land would enable more affordable housing, which is badly needed in Kerikeri.


The Draft Spatial Plan (P48) ranks Option F lowest due to comparatively higher infrastructure costs, impacts on highly productive land and environmental constraints. This is rather misleading. Option F is pastoral land, not highly productive horticultural land, which the Spatial Plan aims to conserve. The developer plans to cover infrastructure expenses including flood mitigation. In extreme weather some of the area could flood: we should certainly not underestimate the power of water. The developer has presented mitigation plans, which would require approval by consenting authorities to ensure proper water management and control. 


Although several community groups, including Vision Kerikeri, which have well informed members, supported Option F, this is not mentioned in the Draft Spatial Plan other than as note in the Growth scenarios Evaluation Report (P17) attached to the Draft Spatial Plan.  Option F was omitted when first submitted by staff to the Council for approval and therefore not considered but was subsequently included following dismay expressed by community groups before going out for public consultation in October. Yet, the consultation document did not mention its potential benefits, probably leaving many confused. It is understood that the Hapu Ropu were also not comprehensibly informed about Option F. 


Because of the low number of responses, the data is likely to be statistically insignificant. If it is not statistically significant, it would mean there is no statistical difference between the 6 scenarios, based on responses (on p.9-11 & 26-27 in the consultation document).  Any ranking would therefore be inappropriate (not relevant).  In fact, scenarios D and F had the highest number of ‘likes’ on the interactive map (p.26-27), while scenarios C and E had the highest number of ‘dislikes’!

Why VKK likes Option F

  • The Spatial Plan has a 30-year planning horizon; the population is estimated to increase to 24,000 people within 25 years. Concentration on Options B to E would all increase traffic on Waipapa and Kerikeri Roads. The Spatial Plan (P58) shows upgrades of Kerikeri and Waipapa Roads under staging of infrastructure (presumably widening), but these roads and their traffic, without an alternative route, would still be linked and overburdened via the two-lane Heritage bypass bridge.

  • Connectivity is poor in Kerikeri. Option F proposes a new road from Golf View Road to SH 10, an alternative link between Kerikeri and Waipapa, providing shorter travel distances to key destinations such as sports fields, schools, and social services, and reducing emissions.

  • The Draft Spatial Plan (P45) identifies walking and cycling pathways as key priorities. The new sports fields at Te Puhawaitanga are isolated from Kerikeri and only accessible by vehicle perpetuating dependence on them. Option F would provide alternative cycle and walking paths whereas The Spatial Plan provides only limited opportunities.

Vision Kerikeri’s summary and conclusion

  • A hybrid development incorporating several of the options is considered sensible and practical. Vision Kerikeri believes that Option F, when properly understood, should be included as it offers an improved alternative route and shorter connectivity between Kerikeri CBD and Waipapa, provides connections for cycling and walking, reduces CO2 emissions, and offers potential time savings. Getting around safely for our children and grandchildren should be paramount.

  • Option F is strategically placed. Not taking this option now will likely have adverse impacts in the future. This may be the last opportunity for Kerikeri to secure an integrated development plan of such scale on greenfield land. Once subdivided further it will become impossible to influence multiple owners to come together and create an integrated plan. 

  • We propose adding Option F to the presented options D and E.



Submissions by April 22, 2025

We urge everyone to make a personal submission to request the inclusion of Option F in the Draft Spatial Plan. You can do this at the following link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/f0ac21d0233b494f83ee84d428aad58e

  • Under 1, 3, 4, 5: tick “No”

  • Under 2. of the online form, you can briefly comment and explain your preferences incl. Option F.


 
 
 

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