But Halswell residents opposed to the development at Copper Ridge subdivision are not giving up - and accused the city council and Government housing agency Kāinga Ora of playing a blame game.
The city council said it cannot legally stop the Liquidambar St project, given consents have been granted, so work on the site continues.
Kāinga Ora declined to attend a public meeting about the project but has offered to hold two community drop-in sessions instead.
Copper Ridge residents wanted work halted to give time for the public meeting, but Kāinga Ora told The Star it does not consult communities about its housing development plans.
Its website states: “Putting the community at the centre of development is essential to creating a sense of ownership and pride of place for residents.
"We recognise every new development Kāinga Ora undertakes has an impact ... we can only be successful by involving the community in the development process from the outset in a way that’s meaningful to them.”
But Kāinga Ora regional director Liz Krause said: “In providing homes for people and whanau who need them, Kāinga Ora doesn’t formally consult on plans, nor do we require developers to engage with the community when they are planning homes.
”We signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement at the end of August 2022,” said Krause.
But residents claimed the complex was a Kāinga Ora development all along, disguised as a private development.
The city council confirmed it knew as early as 2021 Kāinga Ora had an interest in the development.
The residents group has accused Kāinga Ora and the city council of playing a blame game with neither willing to take responsibility for outcomes which affect the community.
“Our view is that something that impacts the community this much should be public notified and Kāinga Ora should have taken the initiative to engage with the community earlier as soon as it was clear it was planning to build in the area,” a spokesperson for the residents said.
“It is not transparent or honest but, if nothing is done, it is going to continue.”
Krause said a number of conditions, including the developer securing resource and building consents, needed to be met before it could release information.
“This only happened in April,” she said.
The situation is similar to another in Kerikeri, Northland, early this month, when hundreds turned out to protest a development after former NZ First MP Shane Jones accused Kāinga Ora of being secretive and deceptive.
Jones claimed the Halswell development is another example of the same issue.
“They hide themselves behind private developers and consider they have no obligation to consider the character or the social impact of their developments on existing communities,” he said.
-By Tony Simons
