Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Hurunui District Mayor Winton Dalley have officially opened the Waiau temporary accommodation village for Hurunui residents whose homes were damaged in the Kaikōura Earthquake.

“The Hurunui District was hard hit by the Kaikōura Earthquake in November 2016, with more than half the dwellings damaged. This has led to families leaving the district while awaiting repairs and rebuilds as there were no alternative accommodation options,” Dr Smith says.

“Demand for temporary accommodation villages built in Christchurch after the quakes there has been dropping as rebuild works progress and the rental market recovers, so four of the Rawhiti Domain houses have been transported to Waiau to help the community there.”

Mr Dalley says the Hurunui District Council bought a site in Waiau from the Presbyterian Church for the houses to go on.

“Having temporary accommodation options in the area allows residents to continue to be part of our community, and it’s pleasing to see this encouraging step towards the region’s recovery,” he says.

“One family is already living in the village, with a number of other households expressing interest for when their home is repaired in the future. As demand for the village decreases, the Hurunui District Council will decide how the houses will best be used for the local community.”

Dr Smith says the Government paid the cost of transporting the houses to the site, and sold them to the council at a discounted cost of $24,510 each.

“These two-bedroom houses are insulated and double glazed, have a heat-pump and are designed to be resistant to seismic activity and severe weather conditions. They will ensure households have a warm, safe and dry place to stay while their home is repaired and rebuilt.”

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Temporary Accommodation Service will manage registrations of interest to stay at the village and make recommendations to the council, which will make the final call about placement in a unit. The council will also manage day-to-day property and tenancy operations, including collecting rent and lodging bond payments.

“The other 16 Rawhiti homes have been sold to farmers in the region affected by the quake. That and this Waiau village are practical steps around temporary accommodation which involve the Government and Council working together to support the region’s recovery from the devastating quake,” Dr Smith concluded.

The top two most contaminated sites in New Zealand have been successfully remediated, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said today.

“The Prohibition and Alexander mines on the West Coast topped a list of the most contaminated sites in New Zealand,” Dr Smith says.

“They have been cleaned up during the past 18 months in projects jointly funded by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Ministry for the Environment’s Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund. The two projects cost $3.6 million to complete.

“The Prohibition and Alexander mine sites were acutely toxic and a blight on New Zealand’s clean, green reputation. Their levels of arsenic were among the highest recorded anywhere in the world at 400,000 parts per million on land, or 500 times the safe level, and in water at 300 parts per million, or 33,000 times the safe limit for drinking water.

“The Prohibition mine site was contaminated from the operation of a roasting plant from 1935 to 1951, when arsenic bearing ore was roasted to release gold. The sites also have high levels of mercury and cyanide. The mining company has long gone and DOC inherited the site in 1987,” Ms Barry says.

“The Alexander processing plant that produced the high levels of arsenic operated between 1934 and 1936. The mine closed in 1943.

“These contaminated sites were the legacy of inadequate oversight and requirements of previous mining activities on the West Coast. We need to repair the environmental damage and clean up this site, but also ensure that we properly regulate mining activities today so as not to create more problems of this sort in the future,” Dr Smith concluded.

Construction is set to start by the end of this month on the new Great Walk in Paparoa National Park in memory of the 29 men who died in the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“A West Coast company and one from Nelson will work with the Department of Conservation (DOC) on construction of the Paparoa and Pike29 Memorial tracks,” Dr Smith says.

“The Paparoa Track includes 15km of existing track at its Blackball and Punakaiki ends and about 50km of new track needs to be constructed for the Paparoa and Pike29 Memorial tracks.

“Westreef Services Limited from Westport will construct two sections of the track, from the Pororari River Track at the Punakaiki end to the Pororari Hut site, and from Pororari Hut up to and along the top of the towering Escarpment to the junction of the Paparoa Track and the Pike29 Memorial Track.

“Nelmac Limited from Nelson will construct the Pike29 Memorial Track and a section of Paparoa Track from the junction with the Pike29 Memorial Track to the bush line south of Mt Anderson. DOC staff will build new track from there to the Moonlight Tops Hut site and beyond it to connect with the existing Croesus Track.

“The Natural Construction Company of Westport will build the two 20-bunk huts, the Moonlight Tops and Pororari huts, with this work due to start in September.

“This Great Walk will be the first to be purpose-built as a mountain biking and walking track and it will have the distinction of being the only one to have this year-round shared use. It is expected to open in April 2019.

“DOC staff will also work on the mountain bike route to the lower Punakaiki Valley. This is intended to follow the southern end of the Inland Pack Track but sections of new track will be built around parts of the existing track to meet the required Advanced/Grade 4 mountain biking track standards. Walkers will take the existing Pororari River Track out to Punakaiki.

“The Great Walk construction work will create jobs and inject money into the West Coast economy, through services like helicopter transport. Mitre 10 in Hokitika will also get new business in supplying timber for bridges on the Great Walk. 

“The tender process is still to run for construction of four 40-50m long suspension bridges, and this is expected to be completed towards the end of this year. DOC staff will build smaller bridges on the track.

“The start of track construction is a major milestone in bringing to fruition the new Great Walk chosen by the Pike River Families’ Committee as an enduring memorial to their men that will bring lasting economic benefit to the West Coast.”

The special tribunal to consider the Waikoropupū Springs application for a Water Conservation Order (WCO) has been announced today by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“The Waikoropupū Springs are the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand and contain the clearest water measured anywhere in the world. I announced last month I had accepted Ngāti Tama and Andrew Yuill’s application for consideration of a WCO to ensure these iconic waters are properly protected for future generations,” Dr Smith says.

“The appointment of this panel will enable the application to be progressed, and a thorough public submission and hearings process to be held to ensure we get the detail right.

A WCO is the highest protection possible for a water body, and the equivalent of National Park status. There are nationwide covering 13 rivers and two lakes, with this being the first application advanced for a springs. A WCO overrides any other planning instrument and requires the identified features or characteristics to be protected in perpetuity.

The five-member panel comprises:

Camilla Owen (chair): A Nelson barrister involved in environmental law, Ms Owen is an accredited Resource Management Act (RMA) decision maker. Bob Dickinson: Previously Tasman District Council chief executive for 17 years, during which time he oversaw development and implementation of resource management plans. Lewis Metcalfe: An agricultural policy and sustainability advisor with a farming background. Che Wilson: Former chief negotiator for the Ngāti Rangi Trust and Deputy Secretary Māori at the Ministry for the Environment. Mr Wilson has also worked at the Department of Conservation. Professor Jon Harding: Prof Harding is Dean of Postgraduate Research for Stream Ecology at Canterbury University, and was a member of the Board of Inquiry into the Freshwater NPS.

“The panel has a strong mix of environmental, legal, water science, local government, tikanga Māori and primary industry knowledge to ensure we get a quality outcome for Golden Bay and New Zealand,” Dr Smith says.

Public submissions on the WCO application will be called in September, with hearings scheduled for later this year. The special tribunal will then make a recommendation to the Minister for the Environment, which can be appealed to the Environment Court. The final decision, expected next year, will be made by the Minister for the Environment.

 

For more information about Water Conservation Orders visit: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/fresh-water/water-conservation-orders/about-water-conservation-orders

A renewed Housing Accord between the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Government was signed today to ensure the momentum of new home construction continues to grow to keep up with the tourist town’s growth, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“Queenstown is experiencing phenomenal tourism and population growth that is welcomed but is stretching the community’s housing and infrastructure. This renewed Accord builds on the work done under the previous agreement and is about ensuring we get the necessary housing, roads, pipes and community infrastructure to support the growth.

“The Accord sets a target of 1150 new homes and sections this year, 1250 next year and 1350 in 2019, bringing a total of 3750 by the end of 2019. These ambitious targets will involve the largest building boom in Queenstown’s history and is needed if we are to address the housing supply and affordability issues impacting on the district. It also extends the capacity to use Special Housing Areas (SHAs) in the Wanaka basin to free up land for development.”

The previous accord was set three years ago and provided for a total of 1750 new residential sections and homes. It has helped double the level of residential building activity over the past three years, with seven SHAs providing capacity for another 950 homes. The renewed accord is possible because the Housing Accord and Special Housing Area legislation was extended last year until 2020.

“The renewed Accord comes on top of the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) announcements yesterday that provided $50 million of interest-free government finance for the Queenstown district. “

Specifics of the developments are:

Quail Rise: 1150 homes located between Queenstown Airport and the CBD, and next to an existing housing development. Infrastructure being funded includes a new connection to State Highway 6, underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists and network mains for fresh and waste water. The subdivision will be completed by 2027. Ladies Mile: 1100 homes north of Frankton, which will provide 14 per cent of the projected housing need in Queenstown. Infrastructure being funded includes a new connection to State Highway 6, underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists and network mains for fresh and waste water. About half the homes will be completed in the next five years, and the remaining half within 10 years. Kingston: 950 homes, with 250 to be completed within five years and the remainder within 10. Infrastructure being funded includes a water supply intake, treatment plant, reservoir and mains distribution network, a wastewater collection network and treatment plant, and a stormwater system.

“Queenstown’s growth strategy specifically recommends targeted growth of satellite towns, and we are pleased the fund can contribute to a sensible, sustainable growth option like Kingston,” Dr Smith says.

“Currently the Kingston development is heavily constrained by its infrastructure and the proposal will help to alleviate these constraints.”

Dr Smith signed the renewed Accord with the Queenstown Lakes District Council today. The next stage is working through the Detailed Business Cases for the projects with government agencies. The first funding agreements for the HIF will be signed later this year.

A renewed Housing Accord between the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Government was signed today to ensure the momentum of new home construction continues to grow to keep up with the tourist town’s growth, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“Queenstown is experiencing phenomenal tourism and population growth that is welcomed but is stretching the community’s housing and infrastructure. This renewed Accord builds on the work done under the previous agreement and is about ensuring we get the necessary housing, roads, pipes and community infrastructure to support the growth.

“The Accord sets a target of 1150 new homes and sections this year, 1250 next year and 1350 in 2019, bringing a total of 3750 by the end of 2019. These ambitious targets will involve the largest building boom in Queenstown’s history and is needed if we are to address the housing supply and affordability issues impacting on the district. It also extends the capacity to use Special Housing Areas (SHAs) in the Wanaka basin to free up land for development.”

The previous accord was set three years ago and provided for a total of 1750 new residential sections and homes. It has helped double the level of residential building activity over the past three years, with seven SHAs providing capacity for another 950 homes. The renewed accord is possible because the Housing Accord and Special Housing Area legislation was extended last year until 2020.

“The renewed Accord comes on top of the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) announcements yesterday that provided $50 million of interest-free government finance for the Queenstown district. “

Specifics of the developments are:

Quail Rise: 1150 homes located between Queenstown Airport and the CBD, and next to an existing housing development. Infrastructure being funded includes a new connection to State Highway 6, underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists and network mains for fresh and waste water. The subdivision will be completed by 2027. Ladies Mile: 1100 homes north of Frankton, which will provide 14 per cent of the projected housing need in Queenstown. Infrastructure being funded includes a new connection to State Highway 6, underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists and network mains for fresh and waste water. About half the homes will be completed in the next five years, and the remaining half within 10 years. Kingston: 950 homes, with 250 to be completed within five years and the remainder within 10. Infrastructure being funded includes a water supply intake, treatment plant, reservoir and mains distribution network, a wastewater collection network and treatment plant, and a stormwater system.

“Queenstown’s growth strategy specifically recommends targeted growth of satellite towns, and we are pleased the fund can contribute to a sensible, sustainable growth option like Kingston,” Dr Smith says.

“Currently the Kingston development is heavily constrained by its infrastructure and the proposal will help to alleviate these constraints.”

Dr Smith signed the renewed Accord with the Queenstown Lakes District Council today. The next stage is working through the Detailed Business Cases for the projects with government agencies. The first funding agreements for the HIF will be signed later this year.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide $300 million of infrastructure funding to Auckland Council for another 10,500 new houses across two major new subdivisions in Auckland, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“This investment will fast-track the construction of large housing developments at Whenuapai and Redhills by increasing capacity of the water and transport networks in the area,” Mr Joyce says.

“The infrastructure funding will pay for five roading projects including a new bridge crossing to the West Harbour ferry terminal, three waste water projects and two stormwater projects.”

“More than 2,000 houses will be delivered in the first five years, with another 8,500 to be delivered in the following five years,” Dr Smith says.

“These projects have been made possible by the Auckland Unitary Plan and the billion dollar commitment from central government to assist fast-growing councils to lift housing supply.”

The Auckland HIF allocations join others around the country to enable an additional 60,000 houses to be built across New Zealand. 

They will add to the current Auckland housing supply growth rate of 10,400 houses a year, and the Government’s Crown Building Project which is building 34,000 new houses in Auckland over the next ten years.

“Auckland has additional housing infrastructure projects it is seeking help with outside of the Housing Infrastructure Fund as it doesn’t have further debt capacity on its balance sheet,” Mr Joyce says. “Discussion on those options are continuing and the Government will have further to say on those matters in the weeks ahead.”

The Auckland Council will now work through Detailed Business Cases for the HIF projects alongside government agencies, with the first funding agreement from the Housing Infrastructure Fund expected to be signed in the coming months.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide $230 million in funding to the Tauranga City Council to provide for 35,000 more houses through three major new infrastructure projects in the city, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

 

“These infrastructure projects will provide for a very large part of the expected need for additional housing for the next 30 years in one of New Zealand’s fastest growing regions,” Mr Joyce says.

 

“The proposed infrastructure includes a connection to State Highway 2, new local arterial roads, new wastewater and water supply network mains and storm water infrastructure as well as building a new water treatment plant and extending the wastewater treatment plant,” Dr Smith says.

 

Specifics of the developments are:

 

Te Tumu Eastern Corridor: A greenfields development which will eventually include a town centre, potential job growth for about 8500 people, a new school development and significant recreational facility development. The Te Tumu development will provide infrastructure for 20 per cent of Tauranga’s forecast housing needs in the next 30 years.

 

Waiari Water Treatment Plant: A new water treatment plant at Waiari, with existing consent to draw water from the Waiari stream until 2050. The plant will provide for 100 per cent of the fresh water needs for the predicted growth in the next 30 years.

 

Te Maunga Wastewater Treatment Plant Extension: Increases the capacity of the existing plant to service 100 per cent of the waste water needs for expected housing growth over the next 30 years.

 

“Both the Te Maunga waste water extension and Waiari water treatment plant have been going through the planning process for 20 years. This demonstrates a good grasp of long-term infrastructure growth planning by Tauranga City Council, which is great to see,” Mr Joyce says.

 

“Te Maunga has already secured resource consent for the extension plans, which will speed up the implementation of this exciting new infrastructure. Sewage treatment and disposal would have been a significant obstacle to responding to rapid housing growth in Tauranga, and now we have a way for forward,” Dr Smith says.

 

The Tauranga City Council will now work through Detailed Business Cases for the projects alongside government agencies, with the first funding agreements from the Housing Infrastructure Fund expected to be signed before the end of the year.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide 10,700 more houses across two major new subdivisions in the Waikato, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“These investments will unlock two major subdivisions in one of New Zealand’s fastest growing regions,” Mr Joyce says. “It will provide network roading and water infrastructure for the 8100 section Peacockes Development on the southern border of Hamilton and a 2600 section subdivision in Te Kauwhata in Northern Waikato.”

The Peacockes development in Hamilton is close to the city’s CBD, university and hospital and has been on the planning books for some years.

“This proposal from the Hamilton City Council includes a new bridge over the Waikato River, as well as an interchange at Cobham Drive and connection to State Highway 3,” Mr Joyce says.

“This initiative is a massive boost to the supply and affordability of housing in Hamilton. The first homes are projected to be completed by the end of 2018, at least 1000 by 2022, and a further 7100 progressively as demand requires,” Dr Smith says.

“This project will complement the high level of uptake of the Government’s KiwiSaver HomeStart scheme for first home buyers. Hamilton has one of the highest uptakes; over 1000 people have used the scheme, with $25 million of KiwiSaver withdrawals and $5 million of HomeStart grants to fund first home deposits. The uptake has been predominantly for existing homes because of a shortage of new houses. This Southern Hamilton development is ideal for new house buyers.”

The Waikato District Council’s proposal is for a greenfield development adjacent to Te Kauwhata that will provide 2600 houses, all within 10 years. 

“The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide local road upgrades, cycle connections, and three waters infrastructure to allow this development to occur,” Mr Joyce says.

“An exciting aspect of this project is that it will provide significant environmental benefits alongside the supply of housing,” Dr Smith says. “The project includes a wastewater solution that will remove all the existing municipal wastewater discharges from the catchment of Lake Waikare and the Whangamarino wetland, allowing a major lift in the freshwater quality in both the lake and the wetland.”   

The successful Councils will now work through Detailed Business Cases for the projects alongside government agencies, with the first funding agreement from the Housing Infrastructure Fund expected to be signed in the coming months.

Five of New Zealand’s fastest growing Councils will have infrastructure projects funded through the Government’s $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“These funding decisions will help provide another big step forward in housing supply,” Minister Joyce says. “The funding will be used to provide network roading and water infrastructure for 60,000 houses across nine projects in these five fast-growing urban areas.”

“The funding of this infrastructure is bringing forward the ability to build these homes in some cases up to eight years earlier than otherwise,” Dr Smith says.

“Adding these big new subdivisions will help lift the supply of residential sections and bring greater consumer choice into the housing market.”

The successful proposals are in critical high growth areas including:

Auckland Council – $300 million – 10,500 houses

Greenfield development (North-west) at Whenuapai and Redhills.

Hamilton City Council – $272 million – 8,100 houses

Greenfield development (Peacockes) on southern edge of Hamilton.

Waikato District Council – $37 million – 2,600 houses

Te Kauwhata (new development on the shore of Lake Waikare).

Tauranga City Council – $230 million – 35,000 houses

Greenfield development at Te Tumu (eastern end of Papamoa) as well as a capacity upgrade to the Te Maunga Wastewater Treatment Plant and a new (Waiari) water treatment plant (at Te Puke).

Queenstown Lakes District Council – $50 million – 3,200 houses

Two new greenfield sites (Quail Rise South and Ladies Mile) on the Frankton Flats and an extension of the Kingston township.

Proposals were assessed by independent experts and an independent evaluation panel recommended the agreed package to Ministers.

“The infrastructure to be funded includes a new bridge over the Waikato River, a State Highway interchange, arterial roads, water and waste treatments plants, pump stations and reticulation and collection networks, and storm water drainage”, Mr Joyce says.

“This infrastructure initiative is the logical next step in our housing programme. We have freed up planning constraints on new subdivisions through Special Housing Areas and reforms to the Resource Management Act but the areas zoned for residences cannot be built on without infrastructure. We will be working closely with the Councils and developers to ensure these projects are progressed at pace,” Dr Smith says.

“The next step is for the Councils to complete with the Government the detailed funding agreements which we expect to be concluded in the next few months. There is also a huge amount of work required on resource consenting and construction of the works. The first earthworks will be under way this coming summer, the first homes consented early in 2018 and homes completed by late 2018.”

The Government expects to make statements on further new funding options and tools for housing infrastructure in the coming weeks.