The Bonnington Farm is on the market and will have space for about 400 homes.
A large Rotorua farm once owned by the city’s first police dog handler is on the market with the potential for a developer to turn it into 400 homes.
Known locally as the Bonnington Farm, the 49ha lakeside land sits behind Kawaha Point and has been in the hands of the Bonningtons for more than 100 years.
The land has already been recognised by Rotorua Lakes Council as a future growth area for residential development.
The freehold land on four titles is about 5km from Rotorua’s central city.
Wesley Gerber of realtor Bayleys’ land development team said the site was a regional development opportunity with scale.
“Bonnington Farm lies in one of Rotorua’s few designated future growth areas and bounds the city’s existing urban environment.”
Currently zoned “working rural”, the land has been identified for the city’s future urban area under the Rotorua Future Development Strategy, a long-term growth plan developed by Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council.
Owners the Bonnington Family Trust said in a statement to the Rotorua Daily Post the land was bought by William (Bill) Scott and his wife Haehaetu (nee Butt) in the early 1900s.
Haehaetu (Hae), daughter of William Butt and Raiha Rangikawhiti (Rogers), was born and raised in Ōhinemutu.
When Hae could not have children, her youngest sister Tirita gave her third son, Barry, to Hae and Bill in a whāngai arrangement.
Tirita would not allow them to officially adopt Barry, so his surname remained Bonnington, the statement said.
Hae died when Bonnington was 14. When Bill died in 1951, Bonnington inherited the farm.
He ran it until he joined the police force in 1959.
In his obituary published in the Rotorua Daily Post, family members said Bonnington gave up on farming after wild dogs kept killing his stock.
He saw police jobs advertised and decided he would do it temporarily, but he remained in the police force until 1985.
When police dogs joined the force in the 1960s, Bonnington jumped at the opportunity and became the first dog handler in Rotorua. He won the Erridge Trophy, awarded to the top-performing New Zealand police dog handler, in 1969.
His family said at the time of his death, Bonnington refused to get promoted from constable as he wanted to stay in the district he “lived and breathed”.
He was married to his wife, Mary, for 65 years before she died in 2018. They had seven children.
Bonnington died aged 91 on November 1, 2020.
The farm was run by various leaseholders over the decades.
The family’s statement said it was always Bonnington’s intention the farm be held until his death.
Gerber said the farm’s family owners were open to buying options.
He said Rotorua’s resilient economic base, tourism credentials, and demographic trends were driving demand for housing, and developers were looking for opportunities.
Damien Keenan of Bayleys Rotorua’s commercial team said Rotorua Lakes Council was pro-development, and Bonnington Farm was seen as a viable and sensible site to facilitate much-needed new housing stock.
Keenan said the Rotorua district’s population was about 78,000 and forecast to hit 90,200 by 2053.
“Clearly, more housing will be required, and Bonnington Farm is positioned close to emerging commercial precincts offering employment and retail advantages.”
The land sits next to the proposed Summerset retirement village. It joins the Aquarius Drive Reserve and the Rotorua lakeside trail network and is near the Ngongotahā to Rotorua cycleway.
Keenan told the Rotorua Daily Post interest in the land had been good. He said it was early days as to what type of housing development would be there.
He said it would likely be a 10-to-15-year project for someone and had the potential to be an entire new suburb for the city.
“We want to find a long-term partner … What we do know is Rotorua’s housing needs are going to grow … It’s exciting.”
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said the council had been proactive and supportive of ensuring Rotorua could be a great place to live for everyone.
“It’s important that we identify good places for good development of much-needed housing options. Without a doubt, one of the biggest issues in recent times has been the availability of housing.
“Now, through good planning, we’re seeing the opportunity for great positive change for future residential land such as Bonnington Farm.”
The prospect of 400 more families living in Rotorua in the coming years was music to the ears of Reg Hennessy, Bay of Plenty Hospitality New Zealand branch president and Hennessy’s Irish Bar owner.
He said residential growth was what was needed after a long period of stagnation, and a housing development of that size would add to the positive vibe around Rotorua.
“It means more people in town, more people going out for dinner and more people in jobs.”
He said his business was now exceeding the levels of pre-Covid times.
“We are back stronger than ever. The domestic market is still a bit weak but the number of Americans, Australians and Brits has been great.”
The Bonnington Farm is being sold via an expression of interest campaign closing March 12, unless sold prior.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.