New Brighton’s population is getting a much-needed boost with the redevelopment of two large sites for housing in the heart of the once bustling seaside suburb.
ChristchurchNZ’s urban development team is working alongside the community and developers in facilitating the two developments – Te Pākau Maru, a 6820 square metre site on Beresford Street, and Seaview, the 1.6 ha site of the former Central New Brighton School, in Hawke and Seaview streets.
The attractive developments are part of CNZ’s New Brighton Regeneration Project which recognises that more people, as either residents or visitors, are what’s needed to bring vibrancy and buzz back to New Brighton.
They will complement significant public investment in New Brighton to date including the popular He Puna Taimoana hot pools and the seaside children’s playground, both attracting people to the area.
The news is encouraging as the project’s various strands take shape, including the latest announcement by a private developer that the first stage of a new hospitality hub in the New Brighton Mall will be open by Christmas.
Te Pākau Maru – A Community-Focused Development
The dream of home ownership will become a reality for five Pasifika families when they move into their first new home in early 2025 in the Te Pākau Maru medium-density residential development in New Brighton.
A partnership between Kāinga Maha and Home Foundation is building 63 new homes on three former carparks in Beresford Street, of which five homes are earmarked for Pasifika families buying their first home.
CNZ sought expressions of interests for the 6820 square metre site two years ago and recognised the partnership’s proposal to develop sustainable and affordable houses was a perfect fit for the site which is close to New Brighton’s shops, cafes and transport links.
Kāinga Maha, a charitable developer, focused on economically and environmentally sustainable housing, and Home Foundation, set up three years ago to target homelessness, are confident of delivering Te Pākau Maru (which means ‘the sheltering place’) just as successfully as their previous project, the 84-home The Residences at Karamū development at Riccarton Park. This development delivered a mixture of community housing, affordable housing for first home buyers and market housing, addressing a wide variety of housing needs, a formula they intend to repeat with their New Brighton venture.
Given the outcomes Kāinga Maha is achieving, it is not surprising that General Manager Annie Wilson loves going to work every day. As a not-for-profit developer, any surplus generated from development is reinvested in further affordable home opportunities and Kāinga Maha’s charitable purpose. “It is so rewarding to see families getting a chance to be first generation homeowners and for tenants to have access to an affordable, quality home with secured tenure,” she says.
Resource and building consent has been granted for all 63 homes. All the homes are future-proofed to be more durable and resilient to the effects of climate change. Their design meets New Zealand Green Building Council’s 7 Homestar rating, going above and beyond minimum sustainability standards and meaning they will be warmer, dryer, and healthier, and more efficient to heat and operate. Home Construction was selected as the project builder based on its aligned approach to driving positive social, environmental and economical outcomes for the community of New Brighton.
Cath Carter - CNZ General Manager Urban DevelopmentWe were impressed with the focus on affordability and sustainability and the group’s plans to help more people into homes. Bringing more people to the heart of New Brighton is part of our regeneration plan for the area and we’re starting to see real momentum in the suburb,”
CNZ General Manager Cath Carter says the build partnership was selected through an expressions of interest process because of the outcomes they offered through the development.
“We were impressed with the focus on affordability and sustainability and the group’s plans to help more people into homes. Bringing more people to the heart of New Brighton is part of our regeneration plan for the area and we’re starting to see real momentum in the suburb,” she says.
Home Foundation manager Lissa Birse says the trust, which has been supporting Pasifika people in Canterbury for the past 21 years, introduced its home ownership programme for those with insufficient deposit or borrowing capacity to purchase their first home. The trust bridges the equity gap as a silent partner in the property for 15 years when it then helps the Pasifika family take full ownership.
“It is so positive to see the very real desire from CNZ to regenerate New Brighton where there is a sense of excitement about the housing growth occurring,” Birse says.
Kāinga Maha, with its builders and sub-contractors on site, together with Home Foundation is already very much part of the local community and is working with other organisations to support the wellbeing of local people including sponsoring local events. “We know the new residents of Te Pākau Maru will feel very welcome when they move into their new homes,” Annie Wilson says.
