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A new hope for Manurewa

Around one third of New Zealand's population lives in Auckland with strong growth predicted for the future and it is set to continue growing. South Auckland is home to a fifth of the entire city's population and is one of the most youthful and culturally diverse communities in New Zealand. South Auckland suburbs; Manurewa and Papakura, are home to 16% of Auckland’s Pasifika population and 21% of all Māori living in Auckland.

The Home team has recently completed a 45-home development in Manurewa for Kainga-Ora. The 9,641 sqm site had formerly included 14 three-bedroomed houses, built in the 1970’s, that were failing to meet the needs of Manurewa’s growing population. Kāinga Ora objectives were to create a new community by better utilising the land and replacing the existing houses with modern, warm and dry homes that support contemporary living. The site now boasts 45 houses of various sizes and typologies that complement and breathe new life into the local community, which include:

• 12 two-bedroom apartments
• 14 two-bedroom properties
• 11 three-bedroom properties,
• 4 four-bedroom properties,
• 2 five-bedroom properties
• 2 six-bedroom properties

Built in three stages over two years, the journey to completion was peppered with challenges, but with agility and determination we’re happy to report that 45 families have now moved in and are enjoying life in their brand-new homes.

Home was engaged to complete a Design & Build once Resource Consent was granted. Motivated to provide much needed housing for local families, our team completed the first 20 homes, four months ahead of schedule. Over the following 12 months, we delivered the remaining 25 homes.

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Challenges and learnings.

Every development has its challenges. With a number of collaborators and stakeholders, it takes expert co-ordination to ensure each discipline works seamlessly together. This means that when the development comes up to the hurdles, they can jump them with ease. There were more than a few opportunities for our team and partners to rise to the occasion, including:

• Asbestos removal
• A transformer upgrade resulting in loss of power for 60% of the project
• Stormwater drainage complexities
• Revision of designs, requiring new consents

As we look back on the project, we can celebrate our achievements and be thankful for the learnings we are able to carry forward into future developments. Whilst there were challenges along the way, our team can be proud of the finished product, which is an attractive development of well-built homes that will stand the test of time and provide homes for families for decades to come.

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Investing in community.

No matter where the development is or what we’re constructing, we always keep in mind the community we’re investing in. We recognise that the families we are building for, are soon to be part of the community, sending their children to local schools, visiting parks and buying from local businesses.

We make a point of introducing ourselves to key members of the local community and listening to their concerns and hopes for the new development.

At the outset on this development, we met with Karl Vasu, Principal of the adjoining Rowandale School. Despite the fact he was leading a very busy school and facing the inconvenience of a work site near the school for two years, Karl was a great advocate to our team.

We worked hard to reduce the disruption and tried to provide benefits to the school that brought value to them whilst we were there, such as donating a much needed deep freeze and supplying bread for school breakfasts.

We also connected with the Good News Church on Rowandale Road, who generously gave us site access through their land.

Our hope is that our impact during and beyond construction of the development is positive and ultimately helps the local community to thrive.

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Celebrating team.

We want to take the opportunity to thank our dedicated team, our patient client Kāinga Ora, and our great build partners who helped us reach the finish line with smiles on our faces.

Sometimes the tension between deadlines and taking the time to get it right first time, can be extremely tough to manage. Our construction team applied wisdom, where hurry might have been the easier option. The long-term result being well planned infrastructure that will reliably support the homes above the ground for their lifetime.

We’re grateful for the diligent work of the team at  Ask Metro Fire, who thought outside of the box and found the right solutions for the 12-apartment block. Kelvin Wang was a great team leader and a joy to work with. Likewise, Norman Disney Young approached the challenges of acoustics in the same apartment block with ingenuity, creating a bespoke solution fit for purpose. We faced a number of challenges, through which the team at Structural Engineers NZ was an invaluable partner. Finally, we want to thank Big Mal  for their collaborative thinking and can-do attitude that once again, helped us reach the best outcomes for the development.

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