A new apartment development housing up to 5,000 people is to be built over the next 15 years on a former university campus site in Auckland.
The development - which follows more than four years of collaboration with local iwi mana whenua - is seen by its developers as an opportunity to re-develop the 12ha site as a step towards a more compact city under the Auckland Unitary Plan while also addressing the future needs of Auckland's property market.
Led by Shundi Group, a company responsible for a number of developments in Auckland and Queenstown, the project will create a new suburb to be known as Te Tauoma, the company's deputy general manager and executive project manager Frank Xu says.
"Offering new urban apartments in a spacious park setting, it will be a future-focused place for people to thrive; a smarter, modern lifestyle in Tāmaki Makaurau," he says. "The masterplan responds to the Unitary Plan and we are working to create a new urban story of a place-sourced, culture-led, people-centred community."
It will sit on the former site of the University of Auckland's former Tāmaki campus in St Johns and is named after Te Tauoma, a nearby maunga (mountain) that once stood alongside Maungarei (Mt Wellington).
Also known as Purchas Hill, Te Tauoma erupted about 10,000 years ago. Once a twin-cratered scoria cone about 50m high located just north of Mt Wellington, it has been predominantly quarried away and today little of it remains.
The name has been gifted by mana whenua and Xu says the development is an opportunity to respectfully recognise the heritage and importance of the maunga - and so the mauri (life force) of the landscape can be uplifted for future generations.
"Te Tauoma is about building a community that both respects its place and sets a new benchmark for our city," Xu says. "It supports the long-term strategy of our city, creating higher density living along the main transport route and near the Glen Innes town centre and will redefine apartment living in Auckland."
He says Te Tauoma will provide future residents with a superb lifestyle through offering healthy homes, sunny and large open spaces and many new eco-friendly features that align with the 2050 carbon zero commitment for Aotearoa.
It will also be surrounded by many amenities including Colin Maiden Park, Auckland Netball Centre and the CML The Bays gym facility. Transport connections into the city through the nearby Glen Innes train station, the Eastern Busway (AMETI corridor) and the city-wide cycle network will help realise Shundi's goal that owning a car will not be necessary for everyone living at Te Tauoma.
The first stage of the project will involve the construction of 220 apartments in three blocks including two nine-storey buildings and one rising to 10 storeys. A seven-level building for 235 cars will also be built along with a rooftop restaurant.
Construction is due to start on stage one in October next year with completion expected in 2025.
Stage 1B - which proposes two additional residential buildings along with two open spaces of 3600sqm and 2400sqm that includes parks, playground, vegetable gardens, outdoor chess and exercise equipment - is currently going through a fast track resource consent process. Overall the development will be built in four stages over 10 to 15 years.
Xu says the height and massing of the buildings have been endorsed by the Auckland Urban Design Panel. All significant views to the maunga will be protected and Colin Maiden Park will not be affected by shadow as the taller buildings will be sited towards the centre of the community.
Other features of Te Tauoma include:
- Large open spaces - up to 35 per cent (4.2 ha) of the site.
- An eco-friendly community - with an EV-enabled lifestyle including ready-to-rent electric vehicles, bikes and scooters for residents.
- Convenience - a community hub including cafes, restaurants, offices, medical centre, kindergarten, performance space and a community swimming pool/recreation facility.
- The planting of 20,000 trees, shrubs and plants including many native varieties.
Ngā iwi mana whenua and Shundi worked together to develop the Mana Motuhake o Te Tauoma memorandum of understanding, embedded within the gifting of the ancient name of Te Tauoma. This led to the development of a cultural masterplan by iwi Ngāti Maru, Ngāi Tai ki Tamaki, Ngaati Whanaunga, Te Patukirikiri and Shundi.
The design team includes architects Paul Brown & Associates and Reset Urban Design, planning specialists Tattico, engineering consultants including Mott MacDonald, Babbage, Q Designz and Envivo, cultural director NativebyNature, supported by the cultural design consultants team Done, TOA Architects, Resilio Studio, mana whenua artists Reuben Kirkwood, Andrea Hopkins, Janine Williams, URU Whakaaro and Archaeology Solutions.
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