McDonald’s consults Ngāti Whātua on Ōrākei drive-through restaurant plans

McDonald’s has applied for a 24/7 outlet and drive-through in Auckland’s Ōrākei after withdrawing an initial attempt.

Issues about anti-social behaviour, health, tikanga and employment were discussed with Ngāti Whātua O Ōrākei.

Submitters have until January 31 to share their views.

Auckland Council notified the application by McDonald’s Restaurants (NZ) to develop the outlet at 152 Kepa Rd.

The notified application by McDonald's showed an artist's impression of the proposed new outlet at 152 Kepa Rd, Auckland. Photo / consent application to Auckland Council

Some locals opposed the project.

A church was on the site but has been demolished and the chain made an application last year but then withdrew it.

Now, it has made a second application, saying its design has been changed to meet concerns and would bring social benefits and “provide for food outside normal business hours for those on shift work”.

“Stop McDonald’s Ōrākei!” says a petition page, calling the food unhealthy.

The proposed McDonald's store on Kepa Rd, Ōrākei. Photo / resource consent application to Auckland Council

“Local iwi have made such positive steps forward with the Pourewa Māra Kai Vegetable Gardens across the road,” says petition organiser Matt Murphy, who has 278 signatures from a goal of 500.

“Having a McDonald’s directly opposite this proposed site is the antithesis of healthy kai. St Joseph’s Primary School is also opposite the site and having our young kids facing McDonald’s straight after school surely gives them the wrong message,” he added.

The new application has an assessment of environmental effects, architectural plans, a landscape plan, engineering plans, a traffic impact assessment, a service and a loading management plan.

It also has a lighting report, a site investigation, a site management plan, an arboriculture assessment, acoustic assessment, iwi consultation, response from the urban design panel and minutes from a meeting with that panel.

The national real estate manager for McDonald's met Marama Royal (pictured) to discuss various concerns. Photo / Dean Purcell

Further, ongoing consultation was being undertaken with Ngāti Whātua O Ōrakei, including ongoing correspondence and a recent a hui in December last year, McDonald’s planners said.

After the hui, McDonald’s sent Ngāti Whātua O Ōrakei a letter summarising the fast-food restaurant chain’s understanding of the matters discussed.

Another hui is to be undertaken in the near future when both parties can meet but a date has not yet been set.

The buildings that occupied the site were demolished in February 2024 by the previous owner of the site.

The site was blessed by a Ngāti Whātua O Ōrakei representative at that time, the Barker document said.

Warwick Stevens, McDonald’s national real estate manager, wrote to Marama Royal and Lisa Davis.

On anti-social behaviour, he wrote: “Closer to the restaurant opening, our management would be keen to engage with you to understand the resource and systems you have in place, and how we can support these. We also have our own processes around security and managing risk, which we can share.”

McDonald’s would employ 40 to 50 people part- and full-time, advertising these roles.

McDonald's met with a hapū to discuss concerns about behaviour and tikanga. Photo: 123rf

“There may be an opportunity before the restaurant opening to link with you to promote the roles,” he wrote.

Stevens said health was not raised, but McDonald’s appreciated “some concerns around the nutritional value of our menu, and broader population health issues including obesity and diabetes. While we are a burger and fries business, we have a 20+ year track record of improvements in our menu, including added choices, product reformulation, and changing our marketing practices”.

On the northern property boundary, the panel said there was a potential conflict between pedestrians and vehicles in the drive-through area.

Last year, the panel recommended appropriate fencing and planting to direct pedestrians to safe crossing points and provide a soft edge. Lighting along this boundary should also be provided with a view to crime prevention, it said.

On the building form, the panel wanted an increased height of the roof form to better identify the entry to the building and provide visual interest.

The panel also encouraged McDonald’s to engage with local iwi “to explore the potential to recognise and contribute to mana whenua values through landscaping and building design”.

Planners Barkers & Associates acknowledged last year‘s application and said an independent planning commissioner publicly notified that.

“The current proposal incorporates an updated design to address the previously identified effects,” a submission from Maiah Barnfield at Barkers said.

A comprehensive landscape plan was prepared by Gaynor Revil Design.

A simple, strong native planting plan is proposed along the site boundaries, to soften the development when viewed from the surrounding areas.

After the panel’s recommendations, the planting palette had been updated to include more specimen trees along the reserve boundary and road boundary, as well as dense hedge planting to further screen headlight sweep and to discourage pedestrian access to the site other than from those areas it is provided for.

So the application said the proposed new drive-through, associated parking, access and landscaping was in keeping with the existing pattern of development on Kepa Rd, the anticipated built form and activity on the site.

“It is considered that any potential adverse effects in terms of the built character and streetscape of the building will be less than minor,” the application said.

The site is 1615sq m.

A 27-seat restaurant and a 323sq m loading area are proposed.

Seventeen car parks are on the plans, including two accessible ones.

Waste collection trucks would also visit three times a week outside peak hours, the Barker application said.

The development was also a restricted discretionary activity because there was a shortfall in front yard landscaping at the corner of the site.

Submissions close on January 31.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.