Kāinga Ora invites public feedback on the Tauranga Western Corridor proposed key features

Supporting collaboration between the public and private sectors and mana whenua, the SDP process 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.

Kāinga Ora General Manager Urban Planning and Design, Katja Lietz, says feedback is being invited as part of the assessment phase of the SDP process.

“In response to the significant housing need in Tauranga and a request by Tauranga City Council, Kāinga Ora selected the Tauranga Western Corridor for assessment as a potential Specified Development Project (SDP) in September 2022.

“Establishing an SDP is a comprehensive and multi-stage process – of which the assessment is the first -which offers a number of opportunities for public input, meaning projects can be shaped by local needs and aspirations.

“Since selecting the Western Corridor for assessment, we’ve worked closely with our SmartGrowth partners, mana whenua, key stakeholders, landowners, and developers, gathering insights to shape the proposed key features.

"Now we are asking for public feedback on the proposed key features - the proposed project area, project objectives and governance body - and this can be done either online or in person.”

SmartGrowth, a partnership including the three partner councils (Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council),central government and tāngata whenua, estimates an additional 43,000 homes are needed in the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region by 2048, and has identified the Western Corridor as a regionally significant location for accommodating some of this growth.

Tauranga City Council requested Kāinga Ora explore the use of the SDP process to help deliver large-scale housing and urban development (including necessary infrastructure improvements) in the proposed project area.

The proposed project area for the SDP includes the Tauriko West and Keenan Road urban growth areas, an extension to Tauriko Business Estate and other potential longer-term growth areas in the Western Corridor.

The proposed key features Kāinga Ora is considering for the potential SDP include the:

• proposed project area, defined by clear geographical boundaries.
• proposed project objectives describing what the project aims to deliver.
• proposed project governance body, being the entity that will oversee the project.

The public is invited to provide feedback, either online or in person, from 31 August to 29 September 2023.

The feedback collected will be considered by Kāinga Ora, including if any changes to the proposed key features are required. A summary of the feedback received will also be provided alongside the final assessment report and recommendation Kāinga Ora must prepare for the Minister of Housing and the Minister of Finance, who will jointly decide if the area should be established as an SDP.

“We appreciate that people may have misconceptions that Kāinga Ora is involved in this process in its role as a developer of public housing but that is not the case. As the government’s urban development authority, we have a mandate to enable homes of all types (public, market and affordable) to be built,” says Ms Lietz.

“SDPs can help to create sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities as they generally seek to incorporate all the facilities needed to make an area liveable, including a range of housing options, public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, recreational facilities, employment, and education.

“We’re early in the SDP process and no decisions have yet been made on whether or not to establish the project as an SDP.

“If an SDP is established, we’ll work with our partners, stakeholders, landowners, and the community to create a development plan, with further opportunities for the public to provide feedback on how housing and urban development should be shaped and delivered in the area.”

Find out more about the proposed key features and provide feedback at https://specified-development-projects-kaingaora.hub.arcgis.com/(external link)

Drop-in session

Where: Tauriko Settlers Hall
When: Saturday 16 September, 12-2pm

Read more about Specified Development Projects