NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Tauranga City Council to buy Bella Vista homes

Bay of Plenty Times
6 Jun, 2018 09:04 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Bella Vista homes in The Lakes subdivision. Photo/file

Bella Vista homes in The Lakes subdivision. Photo/file

Tauranga councillors have voted in principle to buy the 21 Bella Vista Homes which were part of the failed subdivision at The Lakes.

The mayor and council staff informed the homeowners of the decision on Wednesday evening.

Mayor Greg Brownless said the council considered all the options but believed this was the "appropriate" way forward.

Read more: Bella Vista saga: Class action lawsuit filed against Tauranga City Council
Judgment Day' looming for Bella Vista homeowners in Tauranga
$1.5m Bella Vista payment under investigation

"The homeowners have, in their words, been to 'hell and back'. First with the liquidation of the developer and watching work stop on their properties, to then being evacuated and living with the uncertainty of what would happen.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We have listened to the homeowners, who told us that purchasing the properties was their desired outcome.

"Councillors had to consider all the options, but based on the advice we received, we believe this is the appropriate way forward."

The council will now look at beginning negotiations with individual homeowners.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Homeowner Lee Konowe, reacting to the decision, said they were feeling "slightly better".

"We had an outcome that breaks down to the council has unanimously agreed to purchase the properties from the homeowners."

Konowe said: "What we don't have is a timeline, a date, a quantum formula for how we arrive at the value of these properties.

"So it probably went as far as it could tonight, but it doesn't resolve for the homeowners their ability to go out and purchase a new property to replace the old one because we don't know when and how much we'll be receiving."

Discover more

Business

Bella Vista Homes saga costs council $500k

20 Apr 08:00 PM
Business

Three of 21 Bella Vista homes safe

23 Apr 07:30 PM
New Zealand

Bella Vista homeowners upset at being sidelined

29 Apr 02:43 AM
New Zealand

Dozens attend public Bella Vista meeting

08 May 08:44 AM

He said the homeowners were certainly not at the end of the process.

"Had there been a commitment for actual market value - used as a word - plus damages, that would have been much more satisfying."

Chief executive Garry Poole said there was no time frame set for the negotiations but the council would move as quickly as possible to have the matter resolved.

The total cost to the council is close to $2 million since March 9, Poole said.

"We know that this has been a difficult situation for homeowners and residents, who have been living in temporary accommodation since March, but we hope that today's decision lifts some weight off their shoulders."

The council also formally received the independent investigation report by former High Court judge Paul Heath QC, who presented to the councillors via a video link.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Heath's report found that while the council dealt adequately with resource consent applications made in relation to the Bella Vista subdivision, he believed it failed in other areas.

The report recommends the council takes immediate steps to resolve outstanding differences between the homeowners and itself.

It says: "The benefits of early resolution far outweigh any desire to have the homeowners' claims tested in court."

Heath also recommended a further investigation once the issues with these homes are resolved, to identify "why" this happened.

The council intends to look further at this recommendation.

Councillors had the opportunity to ask questions of Heath before they went into three hours of deliberations.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The council does not know how much the cost of buying the 21 properties will be as this will be part of the negotiations.

Homeowner Tony Mann said the council's decision was the right one.

"It's a good end, hopefully now we can pick up our lives and move on.

"Once we read through that report, I think that will answer all our questions. I think the report says it all."

Another owner, Andre Stewart, said it was a "small victory".

"I think we still have a process to go through. We know the recommended method but we still need to figure out what that method, what that cost is.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"And I hope that we can negotiate in a way that benefits all parties."

Stewart said you never celebrate too early but "I think on the inside, we're jumping up and down".

Evacuated homeowner Jenny Coffey said her immediate reaction to the decision was "relief".

"That they're doing the right thing. And it's a step in the right direction. Our lawyer will negotiate the rest for us."

Mayor Brownless also acknowledged the homeowners "for their patience over the past five months".

"We want to thank the homeowners, their families, and the public who have supported them throughout this ordeal. We also acknowledge the efforts of our staff who have worked hard to get to this point."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Background

Bella Vista Homes went into voluntary liquidation on November 30, leaving behind 30 unfinished houses and millions of dollars in outstanding debts to creditors, some in other parts of the country.

Large numbers of building subcontractors and trade suppliers were impacted.

By mid-March this year, liquidators had received total claims of $3.7m.

Following the liquidation, Tauranga City Council started to assess all the homes, including inspections by building and engineering specialists, to find out what the homes needed to be compliant with the building code.

Then early on March 9, the council was told by a geotechnical specialist that 21 properties needed to be vacated.

Tauranga City Council chief executive Garry Poole issued the warrant to evacuate the properties so emergency works could be carried out.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said part of the reason for the urgency was the potential arrival of Cyclone Hola, but an unretained slope in the area was also at risk of failing.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Crime

Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

21 May 07:01 AM
New Zealand

Racing: No Hastings spring carnival until 2026, Waipukurau revival announced

21 May 07:00 AM
New Zealand

'Deeply distressing': Pupil airlifted to hospital with critical injuries

21 May 07:00 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

21 May 07:01 AM

It was a messy break-up for the high-ranking patched member. His family paid the price.

Racing: No Hastings spring carnival until 2026, Waipukurau revival announced

Racing: No Hastings spring carnival until 2026, Waipukurau revival announced

21 May 07:00 AM
'Deeply distressing': Pupil airlifted to hospital with critical injuries

'Deeply distressing': Pupil airlifted to hospital with critical injuries

21 May 07:00 AM
Teen who bashed mother to death with dumbbell says life sentence is unfair

Teen who bashed mother to death with dumbbell says life sentence is unfair

21 May 07:00 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP