The vision behind the development is to “raise the quality of housing, buildings and public facilities to match the quality of the natural amenity”. Northcote Development is a Kāinga Ora project that will include 500 new homes to be sold on the open market, 500 to be sold to KiwiBuild buyers, with a further 500 new homes owned by Housing New Zealand to provide much needed homes to rent for their clients.

Home was engaged to oversee four individual projects within the northern section of the development. These four projects combined include 38 new family homes. All built to 6 Homestar standard, which means warm, dry and comfortable homes.

In the last three months over 75% of the homes have been completed and keys handed over to families moving in. For Home Project Delivery Lead, Isa Te Koeti, catching a glimpse of the smiles on people’s faces as they enter their brand new home for the first time, is one of the best parts of her job, “We were on a nearby site when some families moved in and it was awesome to see how surprised and happy they are with their brand new home.”

We’re really proud of what the Home team and our build partners have achieved so far for the Northcote Development. Like any build project, this one came with its own set of challenges, but we rose and met them head on, finishing ahead of schedule so families waiting could move in sooner.

There was a broad range of typologies across the 4 locations. An eclectic mix of cladding from special brick design to traditional weatherboard. This required focussed attention from our delivery team to ensure each unique design feature was outworked successfully.

This also marked the completion of our first Auckland 6 Homestar builds, which saw more than 58 tonnes of construction waste diverted from landfills. You can read more about the thermal and sustainability benefits and our commitment to NZGBC’s Homestar rating tool here.

Whilst the variation of typologies required extra attention in order to achieve each unique design, it has proven worth the effort. The 11 homes on Tonar Street in particular blend into the neighbourhood perfectly.

Sean Mayes, from the Home team took a pragmatic approach and spent time collaborating with build partners to work towards successful outcomes. “Each partner on a project has their own priorities and timeline, so it’s key that we communicate, clarify responsibilities and find solutions together. This way we avoid delays and setbacks.”

Thanks to strong working build partnerships, this project delivered excellent results, finishing ahead of schedule meaning families waiting could move in sooner.

In keeping with the vision of the Northcote Development, our team were mindful of the local community surrounding the construction site and introduced themselves early on in the project. There is no way of completely removing the disruption of construction from neighbours but building relationships with them can make it better for all.

One example was the local church, whose driveway ran along one side of the site. After speaking with the church leadership, they generously gave access to the driveway and car park spaces for our team during construction. In return, we were able to accommodate their request for new fencing and landscaping along their border.

We want to recognise the partners and individuals who worked alongside us and share in our success. It was great to have a strong working partnership with our client Kāinga Ora, and additionally Piritahi, Frequency, Context Architects, Clean Cut Construction, Sentinel Homes, Plumbed Up, Woods, Wrightwire Electrical, Continental Stairs, EPRO Brick & Block, Edwards and Hardy Roofing, Empire Scaffolding, Stryde Landscapes.

It was great to work with John Parker at Consentium, as we progressed through the building consents process. We’re grateful for Structural Engineer, Jamie Nguyen’s proactive and responsive approach that kept the workflow moving forward throughout the project.

We look forward to seeing the development progress and watching the Northcote community flourish as investment continues.