First homes of 1300-house subdivison to be ready by Easter
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Families could be moving into Rangiora’s newest subdivision in March.
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon and Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods checked the progress of the Bellgrove subdivision in east Rangiora on Tuesday.
Mike Greer Homes North Canterbury director Mike Flutey told those gathered he expected to be breaking dirt on 15 homes in the next six weeks.
"We are hoping to have the roof and windows on the first homes by Christmas and we should see the first residents moving in by March or April."
The subdivision was fast-tracked under the government’s Covid legislation, before receiving $5.7 million from Kāinga Ora’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund in October last year.
The 98-hectare site is expected to deliver 1300 new homes, with around half expected to be sold for less than the government’s $750,000 affordable housing cap.
Gordon said the new subdivision was badly needed, with Waimakariri’s population expected to grow from 70,000 to 100,000 by 2050.
"We have all been impressed to see the progress and the quality of the work.
"It is great to hear that sections will be available to build on this side of Christmas."
Woods and Gordon saw some of the infrastructure, including a stormwater retention pond and upgrades to Kippenberger Ave, up close during the visit.
"New Zealand simply does not have enough housing for it to be affordable and available to everyone who needs a home," Woods said.
"Programmes like the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund are deliberately targeted to grow affordable housing supply and see land get the critical infrastructure that will lay the foundations for development."
Bellgrove Rangiora project manager and director Paul McGowan said the stormwater had been built to withstand a one-in-200 year flood event.
He said 65% of the sections had been pre-sold, mostly to building firms.
The infrastructure was completed by Rangiora-based contractors, with Dormer Construction completing the earthworks and drainage, and BG Contracting the roading and services.
BG Contracting owner Stephen Rattray said 50 people were employed on the site between the two companies.
"I live here and it is a great story to hear with Rangiora getting ahead again and with some scale."
Flutey said enquiries for house and land packages had returned to pre-Covid levels, which was unusually high in the lead up to a general election.
He expected houses to sell from $589,000, for two bedroom units on a small section, up to homes of well over $1m.
"We have the ability to sell well over 50% of the homes for under the $750,000 price cap, but that depends on what the buyer wants."
Flutey said the homes were designed with floor levels of 400mm to 500mm of freeboard above the flood level.
"In a one-in-200 year flood event there should be no flooding through the houses."
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
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Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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