Tauranga hapū disappointed by Smiths Farm land sale to developer

In 2015, the municipality classified the land as a ‘Special Housing Area’ and issues relating to access and infrastructure meant that nothing would happen to it until 2022.

In December 2022, the board decided to reclassify Smiths Farm for strategic disposal. The rank eliminated the need to offer mana when your first right of refusal.

Ngāi Tamarāwaho representative Buddy Mikaere said they were naturally disappointed with the sale as they had hoped to provide homes for the hapū in their whenua.

“We were the hapū who lost the most land (in Tauranga) to confiscations and it is a position we have never fully recovered from.

“There was an opportunity to obtain some land and look at some housing options for the hapū.”

Ngāi Tamarāwaho has offered to buy Smiths Farm in 2022 for a valuation price of $27 million, Mikaere said.

It was not the first time the hapū had failed to obtain land from the council, he said.

The hapū was promised land at Smiths Farm for a cultural center, then in Kopurererua Valley, to compensate for the loss of land when Takitimu Drive was built, but these offers were withdrawn, Mikaere said.

They were then offered land at Sulfur Point, but it was taken away because the land was sought for a marine research center, he said.

All of these areas are in the traditional Ngāi Tamarāwaho whenua.

“We just get kicked all over the place. It’s a trail of broken promises,” Mikaere said.

Tauranga City Council general manager strategy, growth and governance Christine Jones said council undertook a competitive market sale process for Smiths Farm to ensure the strategic objectives of affordable housing and appropriate development density were achieved.

Ngāi Tamarāwaho was invited to participate in this market process, she said.

There have been ongoing discussions about establishing a cultural center at both Smiths Farm and Kopurererua Valley, Jones said.

In 1991, a memorandum of understanding was reached between the council and the hapū that the council would investigate opportunities for Ngāi Tamarāwaho to have a physical presence in the valley, but this was inadequate due to the risk of flooding, she said.

The council had engaged extensively with Ngāi Tamarāwaho over the years about Smiths Farm and the cultural center and was committed to continuing this dialogue, Jones said.

It was regrettable that some projects could not proceed due to factors outside the council’s control, such as the risk of flooding and local restrictions, she said.

Mikaere said Venture Developments reached out to hapū to see if they could work together a few months ago, but haven’t heard back since.

Venture Developments chief executive Jarod Thorpe said the initial conversation with Ngāi Tamarāwaho was positive and the company needed time to do its due diligence.

“Now that we have the contract in place with Tauranga City Council, we are interested in furthering our discussions with Ngāi Tamarāwaho and creating positive outcomes for their hapū.”

Thorpe said initial works will begin soon and the first homes will be move-in ready in mid-2028.

The development was expected to be completed by 2031, but this was dependent on the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi finishing the access road for the new Takitimu Northern Link Expressway, he said.

The affordable housing would be provided through a partnership with the Bay of Plenty Housing Equity Fund.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the delivery of affordable housing was a critical outcome for the council.

The council committed $20 million to the fund designed to support long-term housing affordability across the region.

Of the $20 million, $5 million was conditional on the delivery of affordable housing at Smiths Farm, Drysdale said.

The development would provide affordable housing and stimulate economic growth by creating construction jobs and related opportunities, while improving the overall health of the property market in Tauranga, he said.

“This development is expected to help mitigate the city’s housing crisis by offering diverse housing options that suit a variety of needs and price points.”

In 2022, the council entered into a joint ownership agreement with the Otamataha Trust, which represents mana whenua of Ngāi Tamarāwaho, Ngāti Tapu and Te Materāwaho, for land in Tauranga’s CBD, where a $306 million civic precinct is being developed. It also gave the trust a section at 11 Mission St in 2020, to be rented to the Elms.

– LDR is a local journalism organization co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.