A developer says controversy around a housing build near Orewa in north Auckland should prompt a rethink.
The 1200 home Delmore development —now fast-track-approved— can't be connected to wastewater infrastructure until at least 2033.
Waste will have to be trucked out.
Urban Planning Specialist Hamish Firth told Kerre Woodham it highlights a lack of support for infrastructure providers.
He says we need to be getting this infrastructure into areas where housing is likely to go.
However, Firth says the land has been zoned for housing since 2016 – so maybe Watercare should have planned for it in future work.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood and Mornings podcast from News
Talks HEADB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It's rare that I agree with Auckland's Mayor Wayne Brown.
In this case I do. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has
strongly criticized the government's fast track approval of the Dalmore
housing development in Aurowa, calling it amateur, pathetic and stupid,
and attacking the process that allowed it to proceed. The
Dalmore project will see more than twelve hundred new homes
(00:33):
built on about sixty one hectares of land and are howa. However,
the development is being pushed ahead without adequate water and
wastewater infrastructure. I don't think there's any far less adequate.
That means wastewater and sewage would need to be trucked
off site. Water Care says it can't connect the development
to public water and wastewater networks before twenty thirty three,
(00:56):
potentially not until twenty fifty. Urban planning specialist and director
at Mount Hobson Group, Hamish Firth joins me. Now, very
good morning to you morning, Cairie. We have both been
supportive of the fast track process. Today I am not
how did this happen?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well? I would suggest to you that this is a
piece of land that sits within the rural urban boundary
has been designated from twenty sixteen for housing and there
is a fast track legislation that allows these projects to
be sped up, so it's land in the right place
where housing is desired or needed. They've used the process
(01:38):
and they've got an approval.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
How could you get approval when you have to cut
your poo off the land?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Well, I think there's two things. Let's start with water.
Most of the Highbiscus Coast still has tank water, So
if these people have to have tanks or we have
to get a bore, that may well solve that problem.
Let's turn to the perennial problem of how we suppose
of the pooh they are going to If you and
your listeners have read the decision, which is easily excepted
(02:05):
sable online, they have to build their own on site
wastewater treatment plant.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Why don't they build that first, make sure it's working,
and then get approval.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, what I would suggest to you in reverses is
that Auckland Council has known and watercre that this land
was zoned future urbans since two thousand and sixteen. I
would have suggested that the demand for housing was only
going to grow, and this is right next door to
another completed subdivision, very close to Milldale and mill Water
(02:38):
up in this area. I would have suggested too that
Watercres planned rollout of the sewerage and water infrastructure would
have already included this ten years after the date. There's
no point in having a future land supply if there
wasn't also a parallel future infrastructure supply. Now, I think
(02:58):
the other thing is that we've got to be very
clear about not every single one of the truckloads of
pooh is going to be of the housing is going
to be distributed up to Fong Array. They're not going
to build twelve hundred homes in one year. No, I'd
like us to take a few positives. Isn't it wonderful
that we have a consented supply of housing ready to go.
(03:20):
If we can have a greater supply than demand, we're
going to keep prices down and that's good for all
of us. Secondly, they may build let's say fifty to
one hundred houses a year, so by the time the
sewerage connection may be done by water Care in twenty
thirty three, they may have built three or four hundred houses.
They'll also possibly have started their wastewater treatment.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Plant, possibly, possibly, possibly, But I would venture to suggest
it's a damn sight easier to throw up houses and
flog them off than it is to build a complex
network of wastewater and water pipes. Water Care is not
able to keep up with the consents and the demands
because it's more complex.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
They've got treatment plants, They've had ten years to plan
for this. I certainly don't disagree with you that putting
in networks is costly and takes time. But water Care
is also taking what we call IGC, so they're taking
sort of development contributions to get things done. They've got
a program underway to build to increase the supply. What
(04:22):
it also says, where else in Auckland zoned correctly, could
we find a pipeline of twelve hundred houses that we
could build? And that probably is a little bit damming,
you know. I see that there's approvals happening in Queenstown
and other places which seem rural. It's probably an indictment
that there is not enough zoned land that's infrastructure ready.
(04:43):
And I think that's probably what we've got to turn
down mind to here. What the question is. We had
to get a fastcheck process why because people found it
so frustrating dealing with the council. I like the idea
of a fast teck process. You do too, Yes, but
we also need behind the scenes to make sure that
we've got infrastructure that's been planned for the future of
this country. We can't just have pretty pictures with nice
(05:06):
colors on them and no infrastructure to back it up. No,
then maybe we need to Maybe the government and councils
need to take a different approach to this. Maybe this
is something the super Fund or other funds need to
invest in so we can get this infrastructure built faster.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
But just building houses and saying we need them you
should have kept up yaboo sucks. We're going to cut
the waste off off the land. It's certainly going to
keep house prices down if you're living in a house
where the poo needs to be cuted away. If you
look at Whitford Manor they're struggling to sell those.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, I agree, and maybe that'll be part of the problem.
Maybe people may not buy into it, so we may
have the consent that doesn't mean that they'll be able
to deliver it. So maybe that the lack of provision
of infrastructure may put people off buying them.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Well it, yeah, I mean would you would you buy?
I wouldn't buy a house there.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
No, I don't think that would be ideal. Cary.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I mean, I like the guy that we had on before,
Patrick Fontaine, talking about you know, they've thought about the
infrastruct I mean it has yet to be delivererties in
the process of doing so. But you know they've got
their own on site wastewater treatment plant. They've thought it through. Okay,
give that guy fast track consent, not the guy who goes, oh, well,
we're just cart it off and eventually we'll get around
(06:21):
a building one. No, no, Gerry.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'll give you a bit more localized example. We're doing
a resource consent for an apartment building in Rimy. Era
water Care suggested at the start that there was no
deficiencies in its network. Fourteen or fifteen weeks into that consent,
they've come back and said, there's significant issues and we
can't provide a solution for you. Another month or two later,
we've found that solution out with the mayor's help. We shouldn't.
(06:45):
What I think people don't understand is that everywhere we walk,
every where we treck urbanized Auckland, slightly urbanized Aukland, and
unurbanized Auckland, there is a problem with infrastructure. So I
suggest that what we should do is push the blow
torch and the spotlight onto these infrastructure providers. We need
to get them behind them and provide them the right
(07:05):
level of funding. We need to make sure we've got
a plan that can be rolled out to meet the
demands of Aucklanders and New Zealanders. And I think that
maybe this example, which has got us all hot under
the collar, should be turned into a positive in the
sense that what is the problem. The problem is a
lack of infrastructure. The problem is a lack of delivery.
The problem is a lack of planned infrastructure. And the
(07:27):
places people want to live, well, maybe we should look
at getting that part of the equation right or better prepared,
so that we can have this housing and not have
these sort of debates.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Which is a lovely ending, But all I'd say is
stop building the houses until the infrastructure is there, or
until you come up with a solution as you did
as Patrick Fontain did.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Yep. Yes, definitely cut before the horse, but a really
good impetus for us to have a discussion on this
at a further level.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Absolutely always value your time. Thank you so much. That
is Hamish Earth, director of Mount Hobson Group.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
For more from carry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
News Talks at B from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Carrywood and Mornings podcast from News
Talks HEADB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It's rare that I agree with Auckland's Mayor Wayne Brown.
In this case I do. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has
strongly criticized the government's fast track approval of the Dalmore
housing development in Aurowa, calling it amateur, pathetic and stupid,
and attacking the process that allowed it to proceed. The
Dalmore project will see more than twelve hundred new homes
(00:33):
built on about sixty one hectares of land and are howa. However,
the development is being pushed ahead without adequate water and
wastewater infrastructure. I don't think there's any far less adequate.
That means wastewater and sewage would need to be trucked
off site. Water Care says it can't connect the development
to public water and wastewater networks before twenty thirty three,
(00:56):
potentially not until twenty fifty. Urban planning specialist and director
at Mount Hobson Group, Hamish Firth joins me. Now, very
good morning to you morning, Cairie. We have both been
supportive of the fast track process. Today I am not
how did this happen?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well? I would suggest to you that this is a
piece of land that sits within the rural urban boundary
has been designated from twenty sixteen for housing and there
is a fast track legislation that allows these projects to
be sped up, so it's land in the right place
where housing is desired or needed. They've used the process
(01:38):
and they've got an approval.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
How could you get approval when you have to cut
your poo off the land?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Well, I think there's two things. Let's start with water.
Most of the Highbiscus Coast still has tank water, So
if these people have to have tanks or we have
to get a bore, that may well solve that problem.
Let's turn to the perennial problem of how we suppose
of the pooh they are going to If you and
your listeners have read the decision, which is easily excepted
(02:05):
sable online, they have to build their own on site
wastewater treatment plant.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Why don't they build that first, make sure it's working,
and then get approval.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, what I would suggest to you in reverses is
that Auckland Council has known and watercre that this land
was zoned future urbans since two thousand and sixteen. I
would have suggested that the demand for housing was only
going to grow, and this is right next door to
another completed subdivision, very close to Milldale and mill Water
(02:38):
up in this area. I would have suggested too that
Watercres planned rollout of the sewerage and water infrastructure would
have already included this ten years after the date. There's
no point in having a future land supply if there
wasn't also a parallel future infrastructure supply. Now, I think
(02:58):
the other thing is that we've got to be very
clear about not every single one of the truckloads of
pooh is going to be of the housing is going
to be distributed up to Fong Array. They're not going
to build twelve hundred homes in one year. No, I'd
like us to take a few positives. Isn't it wonderful
that we have a consented supply of housing ready to go.
(03:20):
If we can have a greater supply than demand, we're
going to keep prices down and that's good for all
of us. Secondly, they may build let's say fifty to
one hundred houses a year, so by the time the
sewerage connection may be done by water Care in twenty
thirty three, they may have built three or four hundred houses.
They'll also possibly have started their wastewater treatment.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Plant, possibly, possibly, possibly, But I would venture to suggest
it's a damn sight easier to throw up houses and
flog them off than it is to build a complex
network of wastewater and water pipes. Water Care is not
able to keep up with the consents and the demands
because it's more complex.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
They've got treatment plants, They've had ten years to plan
for this. I certainly don't disagree with you that putting
in networks is costly and takes time. But water Care
is also taking what we call IGC, so they're taking
sort of development contributions to get things done. They've got
a program underway to build to increase the supply. What
(04:22):
it also says, where else in Auckland zoned correctly, could
we find a pipeline of twelve hundred houses that we
could build? And that probably is a little bit damming,
you know. I see that there's approvals happening in Queenstown
and other places which seem rural. It's probably an indictment
that there is not enough zoned land that's infrastructure ready.
(04:43):
And I think that's probably what we've got to turn
down mind to here. What the question is. We had
to get a fastcheck process why because people found it
so frustrating dealing with the council. I like the idea
of a fast teck process. You do too, Yes, but
we also need behind the scenes to make sure that
we've got infrastructure that's been planned for the future of
this country. We can't just have pretty pictures with nice
(05:06):
colors on them and no infrastructure to back it up. No,
then maybe we need to Maybe the government and councils
need to take a different approach to this. Maybe this
is something the super Fund or other funds need to
invest in so we can get this infrastructure built faster.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
But just building houses and saying we need them you
should have kept up yaboo sucks. We're going to cut
the waste off off the land. It's certainly going to
keep house prices down if you're living in a house
where the poo needs to be cuted away. If you
look at Whitford Manor they're struggling to sell those.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, I agree, and maybe that'll be part of the problem.
Maybe people may not buy into it, so we may
have the consent that doesn't mean that they'll be able
to deliver it. So maybe that the lack of provision
of infrastructure may put people off buying them.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Well it, yeah, I mean would you would you buy?
I wouldn't buy a house there.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
No, I don't think that would be ideal. Cary.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I mean, I like the guy that we had on before,
Patrick Fontaine, talking about you know, they've thought about the
infrastruct I mean it has yet to be delivererties in
the process of doing so. But you know they've got
their own on site wastewater treatment plant. They've thought it through. Okay,
give that guy fast track consent, not the guy who goes, oh, well,
we're just cart it off and eventually we'll get around
(06:21):
a building one. No, no, Gerry.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'll give you a bit more localized example. We're doing
a resource consent for an apartment building in Rimy. Era
water Care suggested at the start that there was no
deficiencies in its network. Fourteen or fifteen weeks into that consent,
they've come back and said, there's significant issues and we
can't provide a solution for you. Another month or two later,
we've found that solution out with the mayor's help. We shouldn't.
(06:45):
What I think people don't understand is that everywhere we walk,
every where we treck urbanized Auckland, slightly urbanized Aukland, and
unurbanized Auckland, there is a problem with infrastructure. So I
suggest that what we should do is push the blow
torch and the spotlight onto these infrastructure providers. We need
to get them behind them and provide them the right
(07:05):
level of funding. We need to make sure we've got
a plan that can be rolled out to meet the
demands of Aucklanders and New Zealanders. And I think that
maybe this example, which has got us all hot under
the collar, should be turned into a positive in the
sense that what is the problem. The problem is a
lack of infrastructure. The problem is a lack of delivery.
The problem is a lack of planned infrastructure. And the
(07:27):
places people want to live, well, maybe we should look
at getting that part of the equation right or better prepared,
so that we can have this housing and not have
these sort of debates.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Which is a lovely ending, But all I'd say is
stop building the houses until the infrastructure is there, or
until you come up with a solution as you did
as Patrick Fontain did.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Yep. Yes, definitely cut before the horse, but a really
good impetus for us to have a discussion on this
at a further level.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Absolutely always value your time. Thank you so much. That
is Hamish Earth, director of Mount Hobson Group.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
For more from carry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
News Talks at B from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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