Rod Drury: Build housing to make most of migration

Rod Drury

Over the last few months, signs of the inevitable increase in migration from Auckland to Hawke's Bay have become more apparent.

Havelock North some days is heaving, more and more visitors from out of town are swinging by and new parents and children are arriving at our schools every week.

Anecdotes of the lack of quality family rentals, and shortage of properties to buy, are coming thick and fast - as is a nervousness from locals that house prices are climbing.

I'm proud that Auckland is being repriced as a global city. I don't see it slowing down in the foreseeable future as more and more people globally want the economic and political stability New Zealand offers. But as a regular traveller to Auckland, the traffic, queues and difficulty in operating make me very content with my choice to live in the Bay.

As Auckland house prices rise and their lifestyle gets compromised, it makes sense that more people will opt out of the Auckland lifestyle and consider Hawke's Bay as their base. It's simply the market working.

Already the great work of the councils to rejuvenate the Marine Parade to a family-friendly destination, the extensive network of bike trails and recent support of mountain bike tracks on Te Mata Peak are making Hawke's Bay a compelling place to visit and an even better place to live. We've made a great start on the foundations.

But, just like Auckland, housing supply will become more of an issue and if not actively planned for we risk maximising the local benefits of the flight from Auckland to other regions.

Not only that but locals not owning their own home, just like in Auckland, will become increasingly despondent as the first rung of the property ladder moves further away.

If we want to add hundreds of new families to our communities, creating jobs and opportunities of greater scale for all, we need to address housing supply. The most in-demand type of housing for Auckland migrants appears to be the $600,000 to $900,000 four-bedroom family home.

This is a fantastic opportunity for us to think about how we want our communities to grow. Do we want areas of denser, terraced residences to attract the Lycra-clad lifestylers out and about on their bikes and spending money in the cafes? Are their new models like community housing around a shared, sustainable food supply? Do we want new beach communities that leverage the beautiful coastline we have, similar to the Sunshine Coast in Australia?

I think it's time for ideas. There is a new urgency and motivation for our councils to engage with people about how we want Hawke's Bay to look in five, 10, 25 years: agree to a plan and get moving. With a plan in place, developers can make the investment to create the spaces and opportunities that will benefit us all.

Perhaps there are some infrastructure projects that might also be considered. I've always thought a new bridge across the Tukituki at the end of Te Mata Rd, connecting Havelock North to the coast at Haumoana, would make the Bay feel smaller and creates an interesting loop between Napier, Te Awanga, Havelock and Hastings. Completing the connection between Havelock North to the airport would be a life upgrade for many of us commuters. Scale and population growth make these new projects much easier to achieve.

Migration from Auckland is just beginning. Moving quickly to exploit this movement is unique opportunity and I think one of the biggest issues we should all be engaged with right now. Every week more people are considering a move down country. Our product of great weather, excellent schools, enviable recreation facilities and uncompromising lifestyle is only limited by our housing portfolio.

Get ahead of housing supply and Hawke's Bay will become the aspirational place for New Zealanders to live.

Rod Drury, who lives in Hawke's Bay, is CEO of Xero.