The main entrance way (waharoa) is yet to be clad in timber, but mature nīkau flourish and three concrete pō whenua soar up to 5m at Auckland’s newest high-rise apartment block.
Ockham Residential and five-iwi collective Marutūāhu today opened a big new Pt Chevalier residential project, which brings to 21 the number of Auckland residential buildings Ockham has built.
A spokeswoman said Ockham had now built 1398 units.
It has sold 30% of the block opened today but the Crown has backed it under the Residential Development Underwrite housing programme, which gives developers the assurance to begin big schemes like Toi.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop cut the ribbon beside Mayor Wayne Brown at the 65-unit Toi on ex-Unitec land opposite the historic Carrington Hospital and near the Mason Clinic.
Bishop said it was too hard to get buildings like Toi built. Legislative planning reform aimed to make it easier.
“Our cities need to grow both up and out. To get bigger cities, we need to make housing more affordable. Housing is the key to better living standards and the key to this Government’s agenda,” Bishop told about 100 people in Toi’s ground-floor residents’ common area.
Brown said: “This is an amazing development from [Ockham co-founder] Mark Todd and [Marutūāhu chairman] Paul Majurey, who have become friends of mine. I take my hat off to the work you guys do.”
Ockham developed the block with Marutūāhu.
Ockham chief executive William Deihl said the neighbouring taller 77-level red block Whetū was also completed.
Instead of trying to sell Whetū units, the developers are now calling that a build-to-rent project.
Tenants are due to move in soon, Deihl said.
Guests at today’s event parked on a site beside Toi where a third, as-yet unnamed block is planned.
Toi means art and knowledge, and the seven-storey block is clad in harakeke(flax)-inspired green bricks.
Lisa Redgrove, Ockham sales team leader, said 24 of 65 Toi units were “unconditionally” sold.
That means deposits have been taken, ready for settlement.
Ockham’s sales sheet showed ground-floor studio units for sale at $550,000, with body corporate fees of $3700 a year.
One-bedroom 56sq m ground-floor units are for sale for $700,000, with fees of $5000 a year.
A level-five 80sq m place with three bedrooms is $945,000 and has annual fees of $6300.
Toi is opposite the heritage red brick Carrington Hospital.
The new apartments are a block away from the expanding Mason Clinic, home to some of the most dangerous psychiatric patients, many convicted of serious criminal offences.
Toi is the first of hundreds of new apartments announced in 2022 by Ockham and Marutūāhu.
They aim to create the $2.5 billion Maungārongo development.
Majurey said three years ago: “It’s a staged development, a 10- to 15-year project which in time will have over 3000 homes across 40 buildings. It’s a village within a city, an urban kāinga.”
Toi is the first building of four along the northeast edge of the planned Maungārongo, down the Pt Chev end, near the former Carrington Hospital.
Ockham Construction has also finished the second building, Whetū [star], a 10-level 77-unit red block with ground-floor shops.
“Maungārongo is a staged development, a 10- to 15-year project. In time, it will have over 3000 homes across 40 buildings,” Majurey said.
The partnership planned work within the larger Te Auaunga Precinct: nearly 40ha around the former hospital and neighbouring university being developed by three rōpū - Marutūāhu, Waiohua-Tāmaki and Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei.
Majurey said the almost 11ha share of Marutūāhu land would bring new mixed-use buildings to the established Ōwairaka Mt Albert community.
The 21 projects by Ockham are:
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.