Action Station is holding a submission workshop to come together as a community and show our support for Te Tiriti. We will provide resources and support for you to complete your own submission. (Sorry for the late notice.) https://our.actionstation.org.nz/events/paekakariki-submissions-workshop What to bring
Please bring a laptop if you have one!
Pen and paper
A plate of food to share
Childcare provided while you write!
Saturday, 7 December 2024 at 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM NZDT
The Residents Association was approached for comment on the Mt Welcome farm housing development being included in the 149 in the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Plimmerton Farm development is also included in the list of 149.
This is the response we sent to the journalist.
“We understand the need for extra housing and the Northern area of Porirua has been identified as a high-growth area. We generally support the approach being taken so far. Pukerua Bay residents, and the Residents Association have put a lot of work into ensuring that any development meets both the social needs of the community and protects the environment. We submitted to the council’s review of the district plan and there is a special district plan (Variation 1) that covers the area the Classic developers land is in. This includes a high degree of protection for freshwater in the area, particularly any water that flows into the Pauatahanui arm of the Porirua Harbour. It is also based on medium-density housing, which our RA supports. The environmental protection in the district plan is strongly supported by local residents.
“PCC had been working with Kāinga Ora on a potential Specified Development Project for the Northern Growth Area, which would have integrated all the housing developments between Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton, to ensure a joined up approach for roading, community facilities, public transport and other infrastructure. We would not support any developments being taken out of that holistic approach by this Fast Track process.
“Taking individual developments out of this integrated approach looks like a step backwards for the city if it allowed developers to ignore the work council, residents, developers and Kāinga Ora have already done and take a short-cut that can ignore the appropriate environmental protection. Any approvals under the fast track process should include the conditions and environmental protections that have already been negotiated by council and developers.”
The Residents Association made the following submission to Porirua City Council on its 10-year plan up to 2023.
The increased costs ratepayers are now expected to pay for necessary work in the city are a direct consequence of the approach of previous councils to keep rate increases as low as possible by not investing in infrastructure. This same error has come back to bite councils across the country, and we hope that has changed the approach PCC will take in the future. We understand this might be unpopular with ratepayers, but there are important intergenerational equity issues in this, and councils cannot continue to ‘kick the can down the road’ for any longer.
In a decision that’s likely to please Pukerua Bay residents, the latest version of the Porirua City Council Proposed District Plan has removed any possibility of high-density housing being built in Pukerua Bay.
Kāinga Ora had proposed that every part of Pukerua Bay within 800 metres of the train station should be rezoned as ‘high-density housing’, which would have allowed at least six-storey buildings taller than 22 metres. We were worried that the panel was going to agree to that proposal, or at least rezone all the land within 400 metres of the station, which was the original Kāinga Ora proposal.
PCC has accepted the latest version without change as the new proposed plan. In this, the whole of Pukerua Bay is now locked in as ‘medium density housing’, which is the default for the Wellington region. This allows for up to three houses of three storeys each (up to 12 metres high) to be built on all residential properties as a permitted activity (i.e. without needing a resource consent).
Many Pukerua Bay residents, including the Residents Association, sent in submissions opposing the high-density proposal, and the Association is very pleased to see there won’t be any here.
The current version can be appealed to the Environment Court, but unless the court makes any changes, the latest version will be the final operative plan everyone has to follow.
Climate change and resilience added to District Plan
We were also very pleased to see that the panel added a new section on climate change and resilience to the introduction to the District Plan variation that covers the new developments off Muri Road and the Mount Welcome deer farm (i.e. Variation 1 Northern Growth Area).
We had pointed out that there was no mention of the need to both build to anticipate and prevent the impact of climate change in the new developments, and not do anything that would make it any worse. The panel added proposed wording directly from our submission:
The development will incorporate design principles that anticipate the effects of climate change, to mitigate its impacts, to avoid contributing to it and to increase community resilience.
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities is inviting the public to provide feedback on proposed key features of a potential Specified Development Project (SDP) for the Porirua Northern Growth Area (NGA).
According to Kāinga Ora, the SDP process “supports collaboration between the public and private sectors and mana whenua, and is a tool that can be used to plan and deliver complex and transformational urban development projects, helping address Aotearoa New Zealand’s housing shortage.”
SDPs allow Kāinga Ora to take over some of the rule-making powers from local councils to ensure that multiple developments are integrated with each other and the surroundings. It’s intended to avoid issues where infrastructure is inadequate for growth and funding is not sorted out before work starts. It can also make sure issues like provisions for extra public transport, roading and schools are sorted early on in the process by working with the government agencies responsible for them.
Map of Porirua Northern Growth Area
The Northern Growth Area is around 1000 hectares of greenfield land in northern Porirua, primarily made up of seven major land blocks. It is the farmland between Camborne and Pukerua Bay, mostly on the eastern side of State Highway 59, and includes the Mt Welcome deer farm and the Muri block being developed by Barber Commercial (i.e., Jennian Homes).
This area has been identified by the Porirua City Council and the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee as suitable for future urban growth. In August 2022, it was selected for assessment as a potential SDP under the Urban Development Act 2020.
Since then, Kāinga Ora has been working in partnership with Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira to assess whether the NGA should be recommended for establishment as an SDP.
Here is a diagram of the SDP process (PDF). Kāinga Ora in Porirua is currently at step 1 (‘Kāinga Ora carries out initial assessment’).
Kāinga Ora is inviting people to find out more about the proposed key features and provide feedback on the proposed project area, objectives, and governance body, between 31 August and 29 September 2023.
They have organised two local drop-in sessions, which we are all welcome to attend:
St Andrews Church Hall, 11 Steyne Avenue, Plimmerton, 5pm–7.30pm Thursday 7 September 2023
Pukerua Bay RSA, 5 Wairaka Road, Pukerua Bay, 2pm–4pm, Saturday 16 September 2023.
If you can’t do either of these things but would like to know more, call 0800 801 601 and the Kāinga Ora team will organise for someone to speak with you. You can direct enquiries to sdp.enquiries@kaingaora.govt.nz.
Please note, this isn’t about the proposal in the District Plan for 6-storied buildings in Pukerua Bay. That is being considered by the panel that heard submissions on the District Plan earlier this year, and we are all waiting to hear the outcome of that. That’s out of our hands now.
Are you keen to get involved in a discussion about climate change, focused on issues and solutions in Pukerua Bay? Want to find out what others are doing, and how you can be part of a community response that starts from our strengths and the positive things we are already doing?
Whether as an individual or as a member of a group, you are warmly welcomed to a community workshop to be held on Sunday 16 October in the Pukerua Bay School and Community Hall. This will be a ‘stock-take’ meeting where we develop an understanding of the local impacts of climate change, ascertain what issues are on top for people and map our connections with each other. We will also consider the UN Sustainable Development Goals and think about what they mean for our village.
We really look forward to seeing you there!
Venue: Pukerua Bay School & Community Hall (map) Date: 2pm – 4pm, Sunday 16 October 2022 (ical)
The purpose of this workshop is to:
Raise awareness about environmental activities in Pukerua Bay (Kaitiakitanga)
Raise awareness about climate change impacts
Identify a set of residents who want to take the conversation further
Light refreshments will be provided.
Time table:
When
What
2.00 pm
Karakia timatanga
2.10 pm
Workshop overview
2.15 pm
Whakawhanaungatanga: introduction, why are you here
2.30 pm
Brief overview from Council
2.40 pm
Sustainable Development Goals exercise – Led by Barbara Nebel Grab a cup of tea and reflect
Last weekend we submitted our comments and the changes we want to the proposed variation to the Porirua District Plan for land around Pukerua Bay.
The variation would allow new housing developments on the eastern side of the village, off Muri Road and the Mt Welcome farm (the former deer farm off SH59). Read information on Porirua City Council website.
We suggested a number of changes and additions to strengthen environmental protection, explicitly acknowledge the impact of climate change, the need to identify funding for infrastructure before work starts, and changes to the urban design to improve accessibility and neighbourhood connections. The documents are:
Kāinga Ora and Porirua City Council (PCC) have announced a plan to look at the Northern Growth Area to the south of Pukerua Bay as a ‘Specified Development Project’ to manage housing developments in the area. The Kāinga Ora media release is below.
The Residents Association has prepared a statement in response:
“This is a very surprising decision and there is a lot we need to learn to come to grips with it. We know that there is pressure on housing in the region and a strong demand for it. However, we are concerned about the potential impacts on local communities, and the loss of the local voice in decisions. We have worked with Porirua City Council over many years on the 30-year Northern Growth Plan, and we are currently preparing submissions on changes to the District Plan to allow new housing developments in Pukerua Bay. We would be very concerned to lose the ability to influence decisions affecting our communities if PCC is sidelined from the decision-making process. We would expect to be included as key stakeholders in any decisions Kāinga Ora is making that will affect local communities in this area.”
The community workshop on the draft Structure Plan for Pukerua Bay was well-attended, with animated discussions about the proposed housing developments and lots of feedback given. Read the feedback and comments here.
PCC is also planning to put all the feedback onto an interactive online map. We’ll also put a link to this here as soon as we have it. PCC has to notify this District Plan variation by August 2022. Any of us can submit on the proposal, in writing and in person to the public hearings. We will publicise updates on this process.
A tip from the planners – it’s a good idea to focus on the rules for planning because that’s where the Council has its influence. PCC doesn’t build the houses, but it does set the rules!
Hi everyone, a reminder that there will be a drop-in session for completing the Village Plan survey this weekend:
10am-12 pm, Saturday 17 July 2021 at St Mark’s, Rawhiti Road (with Greedy and Co. bikkies to entice you!)
If you prefer to work on paper, we’ll bring printed copies to the drop-in sessions and leave some at the library. They can be returned to the library or dropped off at 2 Pukerua Beach Road. See our Village Plan page for more information.
Do you wish the Council would stop cutting down apple trees? Wondering about what happens to our community when Transmission Gully goes through? Or do you have a great idea for a new facility? Please share your thoughts – this is our chance to make plans for how we want our place to be! ?
