Whatukooruru Drive

The Southern Links network is a critical piece of work to enable much-needed housing and connectivity in Peacocke. Council is working to successfully deliver this project in a way which works with landowners and the general public, provides safe working sites for our staff and contractors, achieves the best environmental outcomes and is fair on our wider ratepayers.

We're not.

The Council has no intention of destroying the ‘Park’. Most of the planting and the ‘ponds’ were either on adjacent property acquired by agreement or largely unaffected by the road designation. We note that since the designation footprint was confirmed, the Shaws have undertaken significant planting within the designation, knowing it would need to be removed. Council has now completed a substantial native tree relocation work retaining most viable trees within the site.

We don't and we won't.

The road alignment on this property will include a substantial area of landscape planting. The planned route of the road intersects only a section of one pond on the property. The Peacocke environmental programme includes more than 30 new wetlands across Peacocke, and 120,000 new native plants in the planned first stages of gully restoration work.

They didn't.

In 2007 the property owners submitted in support of the first Structure Plan, successfully increasing the Stage 1 development area to include more of their land. This Structure Plan included an arterial road through their property which would benefit future subdivision of their property. In 2014 the current road alignment was not opposed by the property owners in their submission to the designation process. Their submission congratulated Council for its forward thinking. They requested a discussion on compensation and a potential underpass on the property.

​They didn't.

The property owners have been aware for plans for the road for many years. They previously applied for a residential subdivision consent which, if progressed, would have been supported by the new road. The new road will also provide services that will enable subdivision of their other adjoining land.

We did.

The Southern Links process started in 2011 and evaluated a wide range of network options, identified three broad networks, and narrowed these down over time to the preferred option. The process took more than four years and $4.5M jointly funded by Council and NZ Transport Agency. Independent commissioners considered these issues and made their decision after full public consultation. The property owners were actively involved in this process.

The Environment Court has confirmed Council's planning and consultation approach has been robust and well thought out.

​We're not.

Whatukooruru Drive is a normal suburban road, one lane each way, like Te Aroha Street or Borman Road, but with improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

The road will be approximately 26m wide. That includes around 10m for one traffic lane each way and a painted median to provide space for turning and pedestrian refuge islands, 5m each side for shared paths and berms, and 2m each side for on-road cyclists.

In cuttings and embankments, the footprint is wider and can include landscape planting and stormwater devices.

It didn't.

The road passes through a small portion of the property. Planting on the wider property is not impacted and most of the mature trees removed were on an adjacent property.

Since the Structure Plan was initially proposed in 2007 and the separate designation started in 2011, lodged in 2013 and confirmed in 2014 the property owners have planted many new shrubs and trees on the planned route for the road which will now have to be removed during construction.

We can't and it wouldn't. 

The designation process was thorough and robust because critical decisions are based on it.

Land has been purchased, construction on roads has begun and agreements are in place with developers. Changing now would cost substantially more and create construction delays that potentially put the Council's $290M agreement with Government at risk. It would also impact other landowners in the area who have made plans based on the approved designation, including some with construction underway. Such a change would likely have a major negative impact on the city's ratepayers.

The Environment Court has confirmed Council's planning and consultation approach has been robust and well thought out.

​We have.

Council representatives have been in contact with the property owners or their representatives many, many times in the past few years. Council has paid for the property owners to obtain their own valuations and legal advice. The Environment Court decision acknowledged Council's effort to work constructively with the property owners.

An online petition has carried incorrect information. The petition wording has changed several times since it was started. It is not clear how many of the signatories signed the current version or are aware information they were reacting to was not correct.

Uncertain. 

Council's advice from ecologists is that the ponds compromise the Mangakootukutuku gully habitat.

It is unclear whether the ponds, dams, weirs, and other structures established on the property have the necessary resource consents from Waikato Regional Council.

The water quality and impact on existing native aquatic habitat is not known in detail.

We do. ​​​​

Our work in Peacocke is not only Hamilton's biggest investment in growth, but it's also the city's biggest-ever investment in the environment. The environment is at the heart of everything we do.

When Peacocke is complete it will include a multi-million-dollar investment to protect and enhance our natural taonga, green spaces and biodiversity.

We're not.

Hamilton is experiencing very high growth and projections show the city is well on its way to having more than 200,000 people living there.

Peacocke was officially included within Hamilton's boundary in 1989 and has long been planned as a key growth area for the city, along with Rototuna and Rotokauri.

Over the next 1 0 years, Peacocke is projected to deliver a third of Hamilton's medium-term housing needs and 26% of Hamilton's long-term housing needs. Our work is about making sure we have the right infrastructure in place (like roads and water pipes) to support this growth and help develop an attractive and sustainable community that our city can be proud of. Developers pay their share of this infrastructure through Development Contributions.

We have.

The Council is absolutely committed to working with mandated iwi organisations including Waikato-Tainui and the five local hapuu in the area. All the Council's work in the area is done with an understanding of cultural and heritage issues and follows significant research, approvals and protocol agreements with iwi organisations.

No.

Council and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency included mandated mana whenua and Waikato-Tainui in the assessment of Southern Links route options. This process led to a designated network that avoided significant sites, including known urupaa, and paa such as Whatukoruru Paa, Kairokiroki Paa and Nukuhau Paa.