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.

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.

You can also make a submission online: Online feedback form on the proposed SDP

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.

Documents and useful links

• Kāinga Ora’s media release announcing the consultation
• Specified Development Project Process diagram (PDF)
• Kāinga Ora brochure explaining what an SPD is (PDF)
• Online feedback form and map of the area identified for a Porirua SDP
• Porirua City Council page on Northern Growth Area SDP