Land for proposed housing development on Te Ngae Rd and Sala St intersection. Photo / Andrew Warner.
A proposal to turn cemetery land into housing in Rotorua has come under fire — with one community leader describing it as “silly” and unbelievable.
Regional councillor Kevin Winters made his comments as the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Strategy and Policy Committee yesterday approved a last-minute submission against Rotorua Lakes Council’s Cemetery Reserve change-of-purpose proposal.
The district council last month publicly notified its proposal to change about 3.5 hectares of reserve land next to the Rotorua Crematorium and Cemetery to speed up potential development amid a housing shortage.
Consultation began on July 11 and closed yesterday. A hearing for the matter begins today.
The land borders Sala St and Te Ngae Rd.
In 1880, Ngati Whakaue gifted the reserve to the Crown when Rotorua was founded for cemetery purposes. But the ground in the northern area has been deemed unsuitable for burials. In 1996, an agreement meant the land needed to be returned to Ngati Whakaue if it was not used for the purpose it was originally gifted for.
Under the proposal, the land would be leased to Ngāti Whakaue through the Pukeroa Ōruawhata Trust for development to begin while it waited for the reserve status to be revoked.
Ngāti Whakaue had already expressed a strong desire to address the housing crisis in the city, and potentially provide opportunities to Ngāti Whakaue descendants.
Revoking reserve status could take five years but in a statement released last month, the district council said it was enabling “this aspiration sooner” by changing the land purpose to community housing as part of the Rotorua Housing Accord.
In a report presented to the regional council’s strategy and policy committee yesterday, senior planner Elsa Weir explained the regional council opposed the proposal predominately on air quality grounds but noted that potential geothermal, flooding and liquefaction issues were also of concern.
Weir also referred to Rotorua and Tauranga suburbs Ngapuna and Whareroa “as pointed examples of where similar decision-making in the past has resulted in adverse outcomes for communities”.
While regional council staff supported the return of the portion of the reserve to Ngāti Whakaue, developing the area would “create an isolated pocket of residential housing surrounded by incompatible land use”, Weir said.
Weir described the land as an industrial zone to the west, east and northeast, the crematorium to the south, the wastewater treatment and composting plant to the north, and two state highways bounding the site on the northern and eastern boundaries. It also sat under the Rotorua Airshed which was polluted.
Such a location was contrary to the Regional Policy Statement which directed the regional council to “actively discourage locating new sensitive activities - ie residential - near activities that discharge offensive and objectionable odour, chemical emissions or particulates”.
“Staff, therefore, seek approval to make a submission seeking that either the reserve is retained for cemetery purposes or returned to Ngati Whakaue with the reserve purpose updated for more suitable purposes given the location of the site, such as open space or commercial/industrial use.”
In the submission, acting general manager of strategy and science Antoine Coffin said that overall while poor ground conditions, natural hazards and geothermal activity might be able to be engineered around, “the adverse air quality impacts of siting incompatible activities together are unlikely to be avoided or mitigated through such means.
“The best course of action is to avoid having to try to manage such a situation in the first place,” Coffin said.
“The ongoing experience of existing residential communities stuck next to industry in both Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty region are living proof, as we urge that the long-term ramifications of this decision are really considered, as well as whether there are better options for development and use of the land.”
At the meeting, Winters — a regional councillor and former Rotorua mayor — said there were “huge traffic issues” relating to the proposal aside from the other concerns already noted by staff.
“What a silly place to put residential housing,” he said.
“I couldn’t believe it when it come into the agenda. I fully support the submission.”
Winters asked that if the committee voted in favour of the submission, that it be noted the opposition was from not just council staff but regional councillors also.
“I can’t believe it’s on the radar,” Winters said.
A 2021 district council project found Rotorua would need about 9740 additional houses in the next 30 years. A Future Development Strategy, comprising of representatives from the lakes council and regional council, has been established to help plan for the city’s future 30 years.
Regional council chairman Doug Leeder said he also fully supported the submission and councillor Stuart Crosby said the matter was “sadly an issue facing a lot of areas in New Zealand where there’s desire to house people”.
“But I think we learn in this business that the right decisions have to be made right in the beginning. Otherwise, there could be consequences later on. It’s a matter of being studious and careful about where we put homes,” Crosby said.
Committee chairwoman Paula Thompson asked Weir whether the submission, if approved, could act as a directive to the lakes council to which Weir responded she did not think so.
Winters referred to recent flooding at Ngongotahā and said he was concerned the regional council could potentially become liable for potential future residential damages or loss of property despite its strong opposition in the first place.
The committee approved the submission.
Councillors Jane Nees, Te Taru White and Lyall Thurston early declared a conflict of interest due to being members of the Rotorua Future Development Strategy Joint Committee and did not vote.
A summary of all submissions and a final recommendation was expected to be presented to the lakes council in September for a decision.
A district council statement last month said the nearby crematorium posed no health risks to people and the council would retain and manage the significant area of vegetation between the crematorium and the reserve area proposed for housing.
Noise pollution mitigations from Te Ngae Rd traffic would be considered during the design phase for any housing, the statement said.
Under the district council plans, the land would be leased to Ngāti Whakaue through the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust for development to begin while it waited for reserve revocation.
Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.
CORRECTION
An earlier headline on this article incorrectly described the housing plans as being the Rotorua Lakes Council’s.
Riki Ronald Edward Lum appeared in the Hamilton District Court today.