Ana Apatu: Unlock potential of Flaxmere

Ana Apatu.

A key role as chief executive for U-Turn Trust is to raise the awareness of the potential Flaxmere has. For me it is about unlocking those many opportunities. A relatively youthful population, strong cultural identity, dynamic, sport-mad community.

One area that begs for (re)development is the Flaxmere shopping centre. Designed in the 1970s by our first Maori architect, John Scott, this shopping centre is begging for improvement to its aesthetics and overall function. This centre is privately owned, so progress is slow.

A few years ago Maree Rohleder, health protection officer for Hawke's Bay District Health Board, and I were involved with conducting a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on the proposed Hastings District Council Flaxmere Urban Development. HIAs provide recommendations to a proposed strategy or policy to identify unintended consequences, which are deemed to have a positive or negative outcome on health and well-being. Recommendations to the decision-makers will advise on how to minimise negative aspects and how to maximise positive.

The senior planner with Hastings District Council at that time, Dawn Mackay, was leading the proposed development and much of it hinged on a larger supermarket being built. We were incredibly fortunate to work with someone so passionate about urban design. Dawn was very experienced as a planner, and also a great teacher. Maree and I learnt about best practice urban design.

Flaxmere is known to be a community of cul-de-sacs and is poorly connected via roading. This impacts on many levels - a sense of feeling disconnected, no roads that pass through when journeying elsewhere. Our Kiwi quarter-acre section mentality is well past its use-by date.

Urban intensification has its benefits. Let's get more people into the centre of Hastings, apartments for inner-city living, increase cycling, walking, commuting. We would increase the vibrancy of Hastings and create more safety.

Anyway, back to Flaxmere. When we first engaged with Hastings District Council we brought HIA expert Rob Quigley to walk around the shopping centre. We then took Rob to Havelock North - with a similar population, the two villages are worlds apart. Nowhere in Flaxmere can you buy an espresso. Nowhere in Flaxmere is there somewhere to sit to eat. And I am not knocking what is there - the bakery's pies are award-winning and their fresh cream apple turnovers are very good. However when consulting with community, young people told us that they would love a place to sit to eat to socialise with each other. Fair enough, too!

I remember in the draft urban development plan, behind the shopping centre on council land an area has been allocated for mixed housing, catering for different needs - our kaumatua (elderly), small families, larger. With close proximity to the shopping centre, with green space surrounding the development, this proposal has huge potential. We would need to ensure the best principles of Dawn's urban design are followed, for example quality design of new buildings, especially housing, ensuring noise control standards are met to prevent sleep disturbance resulting from mixed-use housing, passive heating, orientation to the sun - let's follow a plan.

The HIA also recommends that with any redesign of Flaxmere we would need to ensure we create a sense of place and connectedness. Artwork depicting flax or harakeke. The beginnings of planting flax already started. Surely there is enough demand for building more houses, especially quality affordable homes.

Recently at a housing coalition meeting, people shared stories regarding those homeless. One couple from Auckland have slept in their car for more than three months, with pets. Those staying in motels on accommodation supplements are apparently increasing. Those with children must be a priority to house. I quote: "Everyone has a fundamental human right to housing, which ensures access to a safe, secure, habitable, and affordable home with freedom from forced eviction. It is the Government's obligation to guarantee that everyone can exercise this right to live in security, peace, and dignity."

- Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.