Mānia Industrial Park

The client

Ngāi Tahu Property is a leading New Zealand property development, property management and investment company. As one of the investment pillars of Ngāi Tahu Holdings, their portfolio includes residential, industrial, and commercial developments in Christchurch, Queenstown, and Auckland. As part of Ngāi Tahu Property’s mission to create wealth for their Whānau; personal integrity, and respect and acknowledgement of their cultural heritage form the foundation of their values.

The challenge

Ngāi Tahu Property initially approached us to provide a due diligence investigation on a section of land they were looking to purchase in Hornby, Christchurch. The land had been zoned Heavy Industrial under the Christchurch District Plan with close links to transit routes and next to existing industrial and transport developments. The aim was to develop and subdivide the 41 hectare site into a 40 lot industrial development. When our client approached us, the section was a bare block of land, and they were looking for a consultant to manage the project from start to finish including the design, consenting, construction, final handover and ultimately the issue of titles.

The national and regional electrical network runs through the site with significant overhead powerlines meaning special considerations had to be taken with the layout, civil design and construction of the development.

A key design consideration for our client was to create an industrial subdivision that was people-centric with aesthetically pleasing break out and recreational spaces. The space was to be designed for commercial viability while still being an appealing place for people to go to work.

The solution

We provided comprehensive pre-purchase advice including an analysis of the site’s constraints, development cost estimates and potential risks to determine the feasibility of the subdivision. After our client’s purchase of the land our team created concept designs in consultation with the Council and adjacent landowners. The project transitioned into the detailed design and consenting phase which has now been completed and the construction of the development is underway.

The layout of the subdivision needed careful consideration and close consultation with the national and regional power companies. The overhead powerlines across the site created potential hazards during construction and ultimately guided the final design and layout to reduce constraints on future buildings.

With an industrial subdivision of this size, the increased hardscape leads to reduced permeability of the land, so careful stormwater management is an essential aspect of the design. In keeping with our client’s requirements to create a people-centric development, we designed a reserve as a stormwater management area that was multi-functional and aesthetically pleasing. We used carefully considered landscaping to soften the edges of the infrastructure and to create spaces where people could escape the industrial elements of the subdivision.

Mānia is the Māori word for grasslands and our client’s choice of this name for the development is an acknowledgement of the historic use of the land. Our landscape design took this into consideration with carefully selected plantings that honoured the heritage of the area and the cultural wishes of our client, with plantings of native grasses that were endemic to the region. We were creative with planting, using a variety of plantings that worked within the height constraints and minimum offset from the powerlines.

We have a long-standing relationship with Ngāi Tahu Property, having worked together on many projects over the last 30 years. They have continued to use us as one of their development consultants due to our proven reputation, multidisciplinary expertise, product delivery, and our ability to address any issues as they arise. We are proud to have established such a close working relationship and delivered over 3000 residential and commercial sections for Ngāi Tahu Property.