To help answer some questions you may have about Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, please read below to read our FAQs below. If you have any questions, please reach out.
For social housing customers
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I'm a social housing customer
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What is the Choice to Return commitment?
Kāinga Ora requires social housing customers to relocate while we work to replace existing social housing stock with new warmer, drier, healthier homes. Relocating can be disruptive and a common concern for our customers is the prospect of moving to a new neighbourhood, away from their community, their schools and their work.
At the heart of everything we do are the people living in eastern Porirua. That’s why Kāinga Ora implements a ‘Choice to Return’ policy for our social housing customers. This means that if a tenant is relocated as part of our development work and would like to be rehoused in their current community, Kāinga Ora will try to make this happen.
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What other factors do you consider when rehousing customers?
Kāinga Ora works closely with social housing customers to find a home suited to their needs and abilities. This includes taking into consideration mobility issues, proximity to local and tertiary education facilities, and access to jobs and medical services.
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What if you can’t find a suitable home in the customer's community of choice?
If we cannot find a suitable home within the community straight away, Kāinga Ora relocates customers into a temporary home while we continue our search. Customers will receive progress updates from Kāinga Ora every six months until we find them a permanent home suited to their needs.
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Can I accept or decline a property?
As with any rehousing initiative, customers are given the chance to view and accept a property before committing to a permanent residency.
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Who does the policy apply to?
The Choice to Return is open to all customers rehoused due to redevelopment of their home. Customers moved for other reasons, such as a house fire, historic moves for antisocial behaviour, or at their own request, are exempt.
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Got questions?
If you are a Kāinga Ora customer and you have questions relating to the development, please contact your Customer Liaison Advisor. For general questions regarding your tenancy, contact Kāinga Ora customer service on 0800 801 601.
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What about private tenants?
While we cannot guarantee the decisions private landlords make, we will try to make sure local people have access to training and employment opportunities so they share in the benefits of social and economic development as part of this project.
We will explore a wide range of affordable housing options and also alternative housing ownership options – such as shared equity and long-term rentals – to get the best outcomes for local people and the communities of eastern Porirua.
Spatial Plan frequently asked questions
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What is a spatial plan?
A spatial plan is a high-level strategic approach on how large areas will change and develop over time. It also outlines what actions must be taken to support that change. They are used to set the direction for an area and inform where further detailed planning and investment is required.
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What will the Spatial Plan mean for eastern Porirua?
The Spatial Plan has been created from community, partner and stakeholder feedback gathered over the last few years. It sets the proposed direction on what the precinct (Rānui, Cannons Creek, Waitangirua and Ascot Park) may look like in the future.
For Te Rā Nui, the Spatial Plan provides strategic direction on building new housing as well as outline other key projects that will support the wider community during development such as upgrades to infrastructure and transport networks, waterways and greenspaces.
Fundamental to the success of the Spatial Plan is the ongoing collaboration between development partners (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Kāinga Ora and Porirua City Council), other government/non-government agencies and the people of eastern Porirua.
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Who will deliver the Spatial Plan?
Delivery will be led by different organisations depending on the activity, and always in consultation with the community and relevant key stakeholders.
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How much will this cost to deliver?
Operational and delivery costs change with the market. The delivery of each piece of work will be investigated and funded on a case-by-case basis.
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What is a key move (changes)?
The key moves are important changes that need to happen to enhance eastern Porirua.
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What are the key moves (changes) for this spatial plan?
The key moves include:
- Enhance transport connections via Mungavin and Warspite Avenues to improve connection through neighbourhoods, Porirua CBD and public transport routes.
- Develop plans to enhance current town centres in Cannons Creek and Waitangirua, laying out opportunities for more high-density living, local commercial and employment opportunities and social/community facilities.
- Improve the water quality, access, safety and environment within Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve.
- Improve three water pipes to support future growth within the community, while also reduce flooding, overflowing of stormwater and wastewater.
- Ensure Kāinga Ora homes are either redeveloped or renovated as well as find opportunities to support the delivery of more market and supported housing options.
These will be delivered by Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development in partnership with key partners or organisations. The key moves are not prioritised, with no single one being more or less important to the overall success of the development.
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What is the key difference between a key move (changes) and a focus area?
Key moves are five specific changes that have been identified in playing a major role to enhance Porirua. The focus areas are seven themes, identified by the community that are the foundation of eastern Porirua. They cover the physical areas of work such as housing, pipes or planting that Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development will be involved with. If Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development works in partnership to improve the focus areas and deliver key moves, the people of Porirua will have an even better place to live, work, play and thrive.
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What is a focus area?
A focus area is a key area identified through feedback from community, partners and stakeholders that is important and needs to be considered whilst new houses are being built. The focus areas then contain a set of guiding principles of what this might look and feel like in the community, along with a series of possible actions. This allows for a structured understanding of the steps required to respond to the issues highlighted to Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, then known as the Porirua Development, through conversations in 2019.
Parks projects frequently asked questions
To help answer some questions you may have about the opportunity to improve Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve, view the FAQs.
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What is a Parks Landscape Plan?
A Parks Landscape Plan helps set the direction on how we can enhance the accessibility, safety and function of Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve. The Parks Landscape Plan outlines how we can make the most out of each space to best meet the needs of the community now and into the future. The plan will also feed into the wider Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development work programme to improve public spaces alongside housing in eastern Porirua.
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Why do we need a Parks Landscape Plan?
Eastern Porirua has a great variety of open spaces and recreation facilities, ranging from sports grounds, recreational reserves, scenic reserves, playgrounds and local neighbourhood parks. However, we know that Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve need some improvements to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose.
Community told us that:
- The three parks are underutilised
- There is low visibility and poor water management
- There is a lack of accessibility and safety
- There is significant water pollution within Bothamley Park due to the old wastewater pipes
- Cannons Creek Park has poor drainage at the bottom of the park
- Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve has issues around public safety, vandalism and anti-social behaviour
Creating a Parks Landscape Plan will provide a guide on how we could enhance Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve to meet the needs of the community now and into the future.
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When will you come back to the community for feedback?
Absolutely! We will collate all feedback received in 2021 and share a Parks Landscape Plan with more specific examples of how we could enhance Bothamley Park, Cannons Creek Park and Cannons Creek Lakes Reserve.
Any work outlined in the Parks Landscape Plan will need to be staged and further consultation will be carried out before we start making any significant changes to the parks.
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Will we get more community facilities?
Any opportunities outlined in the Parks Landscape Plan will need to be staged and further community engagement will be carried out before we start making any significant changes to the parks.
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Who will deliver the Parks Landscape Plan?
The plan will be delivered in partnership between the community, Te Rā Nui, Eastern Porirua Development, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The work will be staged and there will be further consultation required before we start making significant changes to each park as outlined in the Parks Landscape Plan.
Frequently asked questions
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What has changed to the wetland and Cannons Creek Park design plans since community engagement in 2022?
On review of community feedback and the proposed design, we saw an opportunity to rethink how we could enhance the community’s connection to Cannon’s Creek Park. To help create new spaces in the park that celebrate the community's culture, heritage, and identity we continued engagement for an additional six months in 2023. This included engaging with a group of community members who have a connection to Cannons Creek Park, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and local school students came together, supported by landscape architects and Porirua City Council.
Over this time the group worked together to explore the local cultural narrative and how we could include our local history into Cannons Creek Park and wetland. As a result, our resource consent application included the construction of a wetland, accessible paths and new recreational spaces that will help support local kaitiakitanga (guardianship), enhance the community’s connection to Cannons Creek Park and te taiao (environment). -
What will Cannons Creek Park look like after all the work has been completed?
There will be three sports fields with improved drainage helping to ensure they can be played on more often; a wetland on the bottom field (northern end); larger and more resilient wastewater and stormwater pipes to support current and future generations living in the East; new recreational spaces around the park and accessible paths to help everyone access not only the sport fields, but also the new recreational spaces, Bothamley Park, Warspite Avenue and Castor Crescent.
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Tell us more about the new recreational spaces.
As part of the park upgrades through Cannons Creek Park, we will be creating new spaces for the community to use and enjoy. They include:
- Welcome – when you come into the park from the Warspite Avenue entrance this area is welcoming and a place that whether you’re a local or visiting, you know you’re in Cannon’s Creek Park. Signs will provide information about other areas you could visit in the park or nearby. We’re also investigating options to include local sculpture or art that enhances visitors’ connection to eastern Porirua community.
- Whānau area (connect) – whether a small or a larger group, this space is designed for gathering, sharing kai or relaxing together. It will include facilities to prepare and eat kai, accessible tables for sharing kai and a space for picnics, put up a gazebo or sit under shade.
- Whānau area (active) – a place where whānau can come to be active and play. From climbing, sliding, jumping or swinging, this area will work with the existing slope to provide lots of active fun. It will also include shaded space for park users to rest and watch their friends and whānau play.
- Celebration and identity – this space will celebrate our local history, stories and cultural identity of our people and communities within eastern Porirua. It will include signs, storyboards, local sculptures and art, along with seating on the grassed area (including accessible seating), and shaded areas.
- Education – an outdoor classroom designed to encourage learning in natural environment. This space includes seating, places to put down mats, shaded areas and spaces to teach Tamariki or visitors to the area and information boards to learn from.
- Connection to taiao (the environment) – this space is designed to enhance the community and visitors’ connection to te taiao . With a range of signs that tell the park’s history, information about insects and wildlife they may see in the area, as well as play areas, Rongoa planting and kai forests. There will be future opportunities as we look to replant in the area, for the community to get involved and create connection to the local area.
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Will the new recreational spaces take away sports fields?
The new recreational spaces will be located around the sports fields and wetland. They will be linked by accessible shared paths, ensuring no space is taken away from the sport fields.
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Will we lose access to Cannons Creek Park?
If resource consent is granted, there will be some temporary disruption during construction, however we will minimise this as much as we can to ensure everyone can still access the main sports areas of the park.
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What is a wetland?
A wetland is an area of land that is covered by water. They act like the kidneys of the earth, cleaning the water that flows into them. A wetland is designed to trap soil, filter out nutrients and remove contaminants.
As well as supporting water management, wetlands can also benefit the community in other ways. Wetlands can be designed to include recreational and community benefits, such as new paths for walking or biking, as well as supporting local wildlife.
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Why do we need a wetland?
Our waterways are feeling the pressure of a growing population and changes to land-use. During community engagement in 2019, the management of storm and waste water featured often, with many people expressing concern about the quality of the waterways and the pollution of the Te Awarua-o-Porirua. These concerns were backed up from a 2019 review of the quality of freshwater in Porirua (which included Kenepuru Stream) that found it to be Grade E, which is the lowest water quality grade.
Run off from rain can cause problems for our taiao, our environment. A lot of rain falls on hard surfaces like roofs, driveways and roads and when it runs down into the drain it can carry with it dust and dirt as well as pollutants like heavy metals from old roofs and oil from our cars.
Soil and toxins end up in our streams and harbour polluting our waterways, harming our marine life such as fish and affecting the quality of water we use for recreation like swimming or fishing.
We want to improve water quality for the community by improving the stormwater entering our waterways. One of the best ways to do this is through investing in water management solutions such as wetlands and pipe upgrades.
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Why do we need a wetland in Cannons Creek Park?
The bottom (northern end) of Cannons Creek Park is a great option to create a wetland because it is at the bottom of the catchment, so the run-off from all of the area upstream can flow through the wetland and be treated before it gets into Kenepuru Stream and Te Awarua-o-Porirua harbour.
As part of the development to the east of Cannons Creek Park, we have laid very large pipes underground to help divert runoff and water from wider urban area into the wetland. This means water from the area can be cleaned and treated in the wetland before it flows downstream, ensuring we are improving water quality in Porirua.
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How much will it cost to create a wetland?
The Government announced in July 2021 that they would be allocating $136 Million of the Housing Acceleration Fund to fund key water infrastructure upgrades to support eastern Porirua. This includes funding to create a wetland to help improve water management.
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How will the wetland be maintained once it’s in place?
There will be an agreed joint approach between Porirua City and Wellington Water to monitor and maintain the wetland once completed.
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Are there other examples of wetlands around Porirua City?
There are a couple of great examples of wetlands around Porirua City. The most commonly known is Taupō Swamp near Plimmerton. This natural, protected wetland is home to 19 native bird species and a wide variety of plants which support the local ecosystem and environment.
More recently Wellington Water, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira converted 7000 square metres of field to create Te Kukuwai o Toa native wetland in Elsdon. This wetland is helping to improve the health of the harbour, create a new home for birds and insects, whilst creating a new space for locals to connect with nature.
Porirua City Council are looking at other opportunities to develop wetlands in partnership with other agencies. In a joint project with Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Council developed an artificial wetland at the foreshore opposite the Porirua Stream mouth. As well as tidying-up a neglected area of the harbour, this project is providing an additional home for birdlife.