Kāinga Ora buys farm

PHOTO: The farmland on SH29. Image: Google Maps

About 1000 more new homes are likely to be built in Tauranga over the coming years due to the acquisition of a 95.3 hectare site by Kāinga Ora.

Ferncliffe Farm is a greenfield site in the priority-growth area of Tauranga’s Tauriko West.

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The $70.4 million purchase is the first acquisition under the newly created Kāinga Ora Land Programme, set up to lead strategic land acquisitions to enable housing and thriving communities in areas of need.

Kāinga Ora urban planning and design general manager Katja Lietz says the acquisition will bring much needed housing options to the area.

“There is high demand for not only market homes, but also affordable and public housing in Tauranga.

“A site this large, developed by Kāinga Ora and its partners, can provide this mix of housing, meeting the needs of a broad cross-section of the community.”

Tauriko West is one of five priority development areas in the Western Bay of Plenty under the SmartGrowth urban growth partnership.

SmartGrowth is a collaboration of local government, tangata whenua, and central government, set up to plan for growth across the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region.

SmartGrowth chair Peter Winder says the Kāinga Ora acquisition aligns well with the partnership’s strategy.

“SmartGrowth provides a unified vision, direction and voice for the future of the Western Bay of Plenty as we help develop a great place to live, learn, work and play,” he says.