Beach town on Auckland doorstep to get New Zealand-leading eco development

The Mangawhai Hills development will eventually have up to 750 houses on the 185ha site, and promises to be net-zero for carbon, electricity, drinking water, stormwater and sewage.

The Mangawhai Hills development just north of Auckland is promising to be unique in New Zealand for its environmental sustainability and design. With the first 57 sections about to hit the market, journalist Denise Piper had an exclusive interview with developer Patrick Fontein to find out his vision for the 185 hectare site.

Mangawhai Hills director Patrick Fontein admits most developers would have looked at the 185ha site, on the hills and valleys above Mangawhai, and thought it was too challenging.

“Most people in New Zealand look for larger-scale flat sites and cut them up. I was looking for something that presented greater opportunities.”

With an environmental civil engineering background, including formerly chairing the NZ Green Building Council, Fontein said he was looking for somewhere that could become New Zealand-leading for its sustainable development.

The overall vision is for the development to be completely self-sufficient in energy, drinking water, stormwater, sewage and carbon - a first for New Zealand to reach targets in all five areas.

There will be between 600 and 750 houses, each with their own solar panels, rainwater collection tanks and primary wastewater treatment, connecting to the development’s micro energy grid, stormwater detention ponds and wastewater treatment plant.

About 500,000 native trees will be planted to offset the carbon used in the building process, a further 50ha of existing native bush and wetlands will be protected and 15km of walking and cycling tracks opened to the public.

Resilience in the face of adverse weather is an important part of the project, said Fontein, whose home was without power for 12 days after the Mangawhai tornado.

The micro energy grid will include a large-scale battery facility which can store the energy generated by the solar panels, using an AI system to manage demand, including limited supply if there is a power cut, he said.

The development is also ready to cope with the large amounts of rain which hits Mangawhai all at once, with its stormwater detention dams able to hold the rain from a 1 in 500-year flood, then release it slowly back into the catchment.

‘Lifestyle blocks become a lifestyle sentence’

Mangawhai Hills director Patrick Fontein says international trends show a demand for environmental developments.

Fontein is clear who his target market is: Auckland empty nesters who are looking to sell up and get out of the city.

At 60 years old, he admitted it is his own age group who are the target - those whose children are older but are still fit enough to enjoy the outdoors.

The Mangawhai Hills development offers to do everything for the buyer, from planting trees to managing the likes of electricity and wastewater.

“My sales target is people who think they want a lifestyle block but find it becomes a lifestyle sentence because they spend all weekend doing maintenance around their block,” Fontein said.

“We’re providing the lifestyle for people but it’s low-maintenance lifestyle.”

The blocks are 1000 to 1500sq m and include extensive eco-building and landscaping guidelines - including a single-storey restriction.

The Mangawhai Hills development, pictured in blue, will include 600 to 750 houses, stormwater retention ponds, walking tracks and native bush reserves.

Dogs are allowed, as each site will have fencing at the back and sides, but cats not contained on an owner’s property will be at risk of the extensive trapping in the bush, he said.

Titles will soon be released for the first stage, with sections costing $500,000 to $800,000.

Fontein said building partners will also start building show homes and will be able to offer house-and-land-packages starting at $1.3 million for a 200sq m home.

Native bush protected by community trust

The bush and trails are an essential part of the development, said Fontein, a self-confessed trail runner.

“One of the biggest trends we’ve seen internationally is all the developments have a large trail network, and the trails are to provide active recreation.”

A community trust will be formed to vest the native bush and wetlands, ensuring they remain open to the public in perpetuity, while the development is also investing heavily to open up the 15ha of trails to the public, Fontein said.

A private high school, Mangawhai Hills College, has already been established onsite to cater for older children in Mangawhai and each student will have a tree planted in their honour, he said.

Lessons learnt during GFC

Fontein is all about living, learning and giving back, with many hard lessons learnt during the Global Financial Crisis.

In 2008, his north Auckland development Kensington Park nearly folded after property values nose-dived and the banks called in their loans.

The development managed to go ahead - with properties now worth more than neighbouring apartments - but Fontein learnt not to trust banks and has set up Mangawhai Hills with private investors.

This means not only that the development is not vulnerable to the likes of another Global Financial Crisis but a long-term outlook can be taken, he said.

“The environmental strategy needs a very long focus. Setting up our own power company and wastewater treatment plant takes quite a lot of capital to do, but I know that they’re right in the long-term.”

Mangawhai Hills by the numbers:

• 600-750 houses total, on 185ha
• 50ha vested in public trust, 15km cycling and walking trails
• sections 1000 to 1500sq m
• 57 sections stage one
• cost $500,000-$800,000 per section
• house and land packages from $1.3m for 200sq m house.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.