To be blunt, like the rest of New Zealand Hawke’s Bay is flat out. Demands on planning and land development are high, with long lead in times for consultant support, and even higher demands on Council consenting, fuelled by low interest rates, high housing demand (social housing, and new housing – greenfield and infill and reinvestment in existing homes), along with new industry and commercial activities establishing in or relocating to our region.
It seems crazy that this demand is so great considering supply chain issues and increasing costs across all aspects of the development process, with other professional services such as engineering, surveying, and architectural providers also at capacity. For housing this high-level of demand has been confirmed by the jointly prepared ‘Housing Development Capacity Assessment 2021’, by Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and the Hawkes Bay Regional Council, as required under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPSUD). This is the same legislation that has recently removed rules requiring onsite car parking, and has enabled fast-tracking of three or more houses on a site – but not in Hawke’s Bay. The capacity assessment quantifies housing demand and supply capacity under short, medium, and long term scenarios (long term being 2050).
The capacity assessment suggests the current planning provisions allow capacity for an extra 5450 new dwellings in Hastings and 14,000 in Napier by 2050 – concluding that Hastings can meet short term housing demand, whilst Napier is ok through to 2050. That is assuming adequate infrastructure, such as roading, water supply, stormwater and wastewater is provided, however delivering these services is also confronted by technical capacity and supply chain issues. These projected supply figures look good on paper and the efficiency benefits of intensification are recognised across the planning industry. The reality is however that intensification alone will not resolve the current housing supply shortfall. The elephant in the room however is the current housing backlog, which is not quantified in the study. Whilst future projections look positive, what about the now? – especially given that the Bay is already well behind the 8-ball.
The effects of this backlog are reflected in Hawke’s Bay residential rental increases of 14% in the last year, the highest regional annual rent increase in the country (as reported by NZME). Alongside this is the delivery of infrastructure and wider infrastructure upgrades to accommodate new development. We can obtain approvals for new development, but these sit there awaiting the installation of infrastructure. In my view, what is needed is the effective use of the fast-track planning processes available under the Resource Management Act. We need to promote re-zoning and/or consenting for development on the multiple small pockets of land already identified as suitable for ‘future urban’ development, but we need to do it now. Many of these areas, on the perimeter of our existing urban areas, can be readily serviced and accessed and do not warrant the same Structure Planning rigour needed for large greenfield development.
As I write this a new headline appeared from Westpac economists ‘the housing market boom is over’, – due to high inflation and tighter monetary control. What this means to me is that the ability and drive of the market to address Hawke’s Bay’s housing backlog will become constrained, and without taking bold action to increase supply, we will not have the ability to house those that are most in need, and realising the ‘enabled capacity’ that has been projected may well prove to be an unachievable goal.
Housing was once regarded as an issue for Central Government to deal with, but this is changing as it becomes a priority of the Hastings District Council, through its Hastings Place Based Housing Plan, and Hastings Medium and Long Term Housing Strategy.
The plan, launched in 2019, has seen Council partner with central government, iwi and local providers and stakeholders to deliver warm, dry, and secure housing needed for people and whānau in Hastings.
Speaking to The Profit on a driving tour of the residential development in the district, Council chief executive To’osavili Nigel Bickle is buoyed by the progress they have made, but recognises they need to continue to do more.
Nigel Bickle
“It is about how you create the right solutions for place and that’s not been the focus of central government previously, and councils historically have said: ‘well our job is to make sure there is enough forward land supply’ but doesn’t go beyond that.
“So, it was quite a different place but one that [Mayor] Sandra [Hazlehurst] and councillors were willing to step into because their predominant lens is a wellbeing lens.”
The district’s housing shortage hasn’t happened overnight and has been “decades in the making” but supply that is being created is now being consumed at record levels.
“You want to avoid a situation where you run out of land because that’s where the problems really do start to compound.” They are confident in the short to medium term, but traditionally, a sensitive topic has been what land should be used for development, with growers arguing that fertile land should not be used for housing, but to grow crops. It is something the Hastings District Council is sensitive to, but also tackling head on.
A key aspect of council’s housing strategy is a residential development programme that provides certainty for developers and choice in the housing market, being staged at a rate that balances the cost to council of installing the required infrastructure against market demand.
This is taking place across Flaxmere, Frimley, Havelock North and Te Awanga, and other greenfield areas rezoned residential are going through the development process at Howard St, Parkvale, and Iona and Brookfield Rd in Havelock North.
Council has also made changes to the district plan to allow for seasonal worker accommodation to be built in the light industrial and general industrial zones at Omahu and Irongate.
“The council gets that our success long term goes to what we grow on the Heretaunga Plains, but you’ve got people saying we can’t keep doing greenfield developments on our fertile land so that’s putting pressure to do more intensification of CBD and CBD fringe suburbs.”
“If we’re not going to keep doing greenfields developments on land, we have to utilise the footprints that we’ve got and find ways to intensify housing in the CBD and CBD fringe suburbs and get more return on the land that we are bringing because we just don’t have an endless supply of land.”
While they see a way of building quality density housing in these areas with apartment living and more terraced houses, the infrastructure was not designed to accommodate that style of living and will require significant time and investment.
As a result, they have applied for $100m through the Government’s infrastructure fund.
Further up the road in Wairoa, a working group established in response to the current housing shortage in Wairoa, has found demand in the district is outpacing supply. It is a situation, that if left unchecked, is only going to get worse. The current shortage of about 150 homes could increase to 500 in the next 10 years with the expected population growth.
Wairoa District Council chief executive Kitea Tipuna says they are working as a housing enabler in partnership with local iwi and providers in relation to residential developments in the district.
While there are developments, including a 38-lot mixed housing subdivision in the pipeline, official resource consent applications have not yet been granted.
Kitea says a local housing strategy is being worked on to cater for all their community needs, and a housing co-ordinator has been appointed to work collaboratively with key stakeholders in the Wairoa region.
The one-year position will include exploring opportunities for housing initiatives, best use of resources and reporting on the progress and outcomes of the housing strategy relating to the development of social housing, Papakāinga, and affordable home ownership.
“The role includes active promotion and coordination of community collaboration by supporting iwi, government, and non- government agencies to work together within their respective sectors to achieve better outcomes for whānau.
“We know our community works best with people who recognise the unique nature of our district. It is important organisations like Kāinga Ora, differentiate between the communities they work with. Wairoa may not need whole new suburbs or high-rise apartments, but we still have a housing need and require support.”
While the housing capacity analysis suggests Napier has sufficient development capacity over the short (three years), medium (seven years) and long term (30 years) to meet demand, it has found there is significantly greater demand for housing than the market is likely to provide resulting in a lack of affordable housing options.
Napier City Council CE Dr Steph Rotarangi says housing solutions are essential.
“We have been working with our partners to develop Napier’s Spatial Picture, essentially asking what does Napier look like in the future and how do we get there today?
The result, Steph says, is a new focus on medium density residential intensification (like terraced houses or walk-up apartments) around the city’s centres and main roads.
“This has been extremely useful, to keep an eye to the future while we deal with housing pressure here and now.”
The issues facing Napier are compounded by the fact that the city boundary is small, many of the suburbs are on a flood plain and the area is vulnerable to tsunami. The city is also surrounded by highly productive plains land, which requires effective and sustainable management. Where there are hills, the infrastructure to support growth is limited and difficult to support.
“There’s also demand for new industries and businesses. We are in a period of growth and high demand for competing resources. We are fortunate to have a lot of people in Hawke’s Bay with the drive, expertise, ideas, and on-the-ground knowledge to help navigate Napier through these pressures as we set about working with our partners to solve our housing needs.”
She says that the council was working with mana whenua, a number of different developers, central government agencies and local providers to ensure appropriate housing needs are met.
“Depending on the stage of the development, some of the work we undertake is commercial in-confidence and not able to be provided. Other information and statistics are transparent and/or subject to resource consents and building consents.”
Two big projects in Napier at present are the Mission Estate development, with about 600 residential sections, and the Riverbend Road development, with 650 residential units, which is currently being assessed by the new Government fast-track process.
Steph says that by law, the council needs to provide for at least 6.5 percent residential growth.
“As set out in our Housing Development Capacity Assessment 2021, based on a medium-high population projection, an additional 2,700 houses will be needed to meet demand in Napier by 2030, particularly 1-2 bedroom and affordable housing.
In a bid to cope with the demand, the council has developed an end-to-end team of key account managers to assist developers with their consenting process to support economic development in Napier.
“This framework kicks in when developments require the delivery of multiple internal business units (i.e., planning, infrastructure). This process aims for efficiency in service as opposed to building capacity.“
She says there are also structural changes now at play at a national level including Local Government reform, RMA reform and a number of National Policy statements. There is also a new emphasis on climate change, Kāinga Ora and MHUD initiatives, and significant developments such as fast-tracking of “These are all things the council needed to evaluate whether we are structured to respond effectively.”
Steph says it is council’s role is to ensure there is sufficient, suitable land available in order to have competition in the market so that developers can respond to opportunities and build dwellings.
“Zoning land is the main area that council can influence. Developers control when and where housing opportunities are realised including whether or not a development is ‘affordable’. Council therefore has a key role to enable land availability but by itself cannot deliver housing or affordable housing to meet expected demand.”
In Central Hawke’s Bay, the District’s Mayor Alex Walker says there has been year on year growth in consenting for new residential dwellings, with a 247 percent boost in new lots being created in the 2020-21 financial year.
She describes the region as being on a journey of positivity and growth.
This is evidenced by the number of key sizeable residential developments across the district that are either underway, or shortly to break ground.
In 2020 an additional 1500 new homes in the district were forecast by 2031, with this assumption now reforecast in November 2021 to be an additional 1700 homes by 2031.
“In the short to long term, land availability is not going to be a constraint on development going forward. Analysis of resource and building consents for the last five years indicates there are up to 2,500 unbuilt sections in the pipeline – 80 percent of these are from applications since the start of 2020, including those still in the processing stage.”
There are also plans to release further areas for development.
In 2020 the council developed its Central Hawke’s Bay 2050 Integrated Spatial Plan, to promote and encourage sustainable growth and smart use of its existing infrastructure.
“As a priority project, council has been progressing towards the development of the Waipukurau South Growth Precinct, with an anticipated yield of 950 lots over the next 15+ years in the centre of Waipukurau.”
“This precinct in development with both private landowners and the Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust, has been successful in the first round of Kainga Ora’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, as a development to ‘fast track’ implementation, and if successful the first houses can be expected in the next three years.”
The big challenge facing Central Hawke’s Bay, like the rest of New Zealand, is finding the capacity and skills in the building sector to develop these sections.
“The need for housing – including social and affordable is significant. Over 60 individual families are registered for emergency housing in the district and while the number pales to those in or on emergency housing lists in Napier and Hastings, proportionately in relation to population the number is high,” Alex says.
She says that with a growing population, the lowest unemployment rate in the region and businesses in desperate need of employees, unlocking housing is critical for the long-term success of the district.
“Council is pulling every lever available to it to support housing. This has included the establishment of the Tamatea Housing Taskforce, a housing partnership project between Te Taiwhenua o Tamatea and council. Council over the last four years has also been advocating for and identifying housing opportunities with both Kainga Ora and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which has seen a site in Waipukurau purchased for housing by Kainga Ora and eight new homes being purchased in the district by Kainga Ora in late 2021.”
In the past six years, Greenstone Land Developments has supplied 73 per cent of the finished residential section supply for Havelock North and Hastings, and currently has about 300 sections in the pipeline.
Managing Director Tim Wilkins says they have seen a significant increase in demand in the last two years due to an influx of people moving to the region and a natural increase in population which has brought about a lack of supply.
“We can keep up with the demand at the moment, but there are resource problems at local government level in the processing of these developments though to title.”
Tim says the biggest issue facing developers in the region in the future is the land resource required for development.
“There’s a real conflict between land that’s very valuable for horticultural export purposes that shouldn’t be put into development and where development should occur going forward as it is critical to provide housing to all sectors for our growing population.
And intensification in the CBD is not in “demand”, he says.
“The reality is that people don’t want to live in apartments, and they don’t want to live on very small 300m2 sections. It might stack up financially in major towns in New Zealand, but certainly not provincial towns in New Zealand.”
Basketball in Hawke’s Bay is at an all- time high in regards to participation.
In 2021, more than 4,000 registered players regularly played, and that number swelled with youngsters playing ‘ball’ at their local outdoor court thanks to a partnership between councils and regional sport organisation Basketball Hawke’s Bay.
Basketball Hawke’s Bay’s general manager Nick Hogan says the growth in basketball is due to the sport seen as part of popular culture – with the NBA, its global stars and its alignment with sport brands such as Nike and Adidas – but also as an alternative to the physical nature of our national game, rugby.
Nick sees no let-up in participation growth.
“As other sports battle with the perception of concussion and the risks that run with that, basketball does not have these same issues.
“We continue to trend in an upward direction and the modifications within the sport to adapt to more 3-on-3 competitions and shorter modules are only going to help to increase this. The investment in community courts will place more pressure on indoor court space, where all competition is played.”
The investment in six extra courts at PGA is long overdue and will ease scheduling pressures, which have seen young participants playing at a time when they’re usually being tucked into bed.
“We have eight-year-olds playing basketball at 8pm at night and as indoor sports become more and more popular, we need to keep ahead of demand in court space.”
Nick hopes to see the region hosting national tournaments, which will prove economically beneficial to the local accommodation, hospitality and tourism sectors.
“The PGA’s expansion puts Hawke’s Bay in a prime position to bid for prestigious national age group tournaments at under 15 and 17 years as well as secondary school nationals.
“With nine courts in the one place, we would be set-up perfectly to run tournaments of this size and magnitude. These currently are the show pieces of Basketball New Zealand’s calendar.
“Multiple venues such as PGA, the Centennial Hall and the Hastings Sports Centre allow us to run tournaments but also allows the region to have multiple events on simultaneously. In the past it hasn’t been possible to run tournaments at the same time as other regular-user sports. With more facilities it should allow for tournaments to be run while not displacing other sports or events both within and externally to basketball.”
“In Hawke’s Bay we are really very lucky with the facilities that we have, as well as our great climate. Whenever we have an event here, visitors just say we are so lucky.
Sport Hawke’s Bay chief executive Mark Aspden agrees that there are opportunities to attract large events. “I know there is a willingness on the part of facility owners to work together. There is often a lot of competition for events, but Hawke’s Bay will be very well placed – our facilities will be up with the best.”
Just 10 kilometres away from the Mitre 10 Park is the home of indoor court sport, the Pettigrew.Green Arena (PGA), which was built in 2002.
Operated by the arena’s trust, participation has well outgrown court space availability, leaving children as young as seven and eight years old playing volleyball and basketball at a time when they’re usually heading to bed.
Trust chairman Craig Waterhouse is leading a $20 million new-build project providing six courts to be used for basketball, futsal and netball or twelve volleyball courts and is aimed exclusively for community use.
In 2002, Hastings District Council (HDC), Napier City Council and EIT worked collaboratively to build PGA but so far only Napier City Council has committed to funding, contributing $4.1 million; the biggest funders are the government’s Provincial Growth Fund, which pledged $6.4 million, and Lottery Significant Projects Fund, which gave $3 million.
Craig is hoping to cover the shortfall with a last ditch effort for funds from HDC, as well as private funders, in the hope of not pushing the recovery of the shortfall on to codes and participants via increases in hire fees.
“HDC drove the original build through the previous mayor (Lawrence Yule) as well as pushed for an operational restructure when it was in financial trouble five years ago.”
Craig says the fact that the venue is physically in Napier shouldn’t stop funding support from Hastings as it is regarded as a regional facility that mutually benefits Hastings and Napier residents.
“When the current facility was built in 2002, Taradale was regarded as the best central location by both councils. It was opposite EIT (the region’s tertiary education institute), was on a major bus route and fitted with the major roading networks proposed to be built.”
Facility use by Napier and Hastings residents is close to equal, and 90 percent of current PGA users are under 19 years of age.
“The project will provide positive benefits for the health and well-being of the people of Hawke’s Bay. The arena complex will increase Hawke’s Bay’s ability to look after its own recreational needs and help it to grow a stronger, healthier community.”
As well as being short of funds for the new facility, Craig is also concerned about future funding for community, much of which comes from gambling and gaming machine trusts.
Gaming trusts have provided funding for the new courts as well as sports equipment over the past 20 years and the trusts also directly fund user organisations such as Basketball
Hawke’s Bay and Netball Hawke’s Bay, helping keep player and hire fees more affordable.
“Our business model will likely collapse when gaming machine trusts are eliminated. The arena trust gets funds to operate, and all regular-user sports clubs and associations receive funds for staff and arena court fees. Sport codes’ costs will go up significantly and income will go down if this type of funding disappears.
“Who fixes this? I have no idea, I assume councils, which are the organisations that ultimately decide on the number of gaming machines operated.”
Gaming trusts have provided funding for the new courts as well as sports equipment over the past 20 years and the trusts also directly fund user organisations such as Basketball
Hawke’s Bay and Netball Hawke’s Bay, helping keep player and hire fees more affordable.
“Our business model will likely collapse when gaming machine trusts are eliminated. The arena trust gets funds to operate, and all regular-user sports clubs and associations receive funds for staff and arena court fees. Sport codes’ costs will go up significantly and income will go down if this type of funding disappears.
“Who fixes this? I have no idea, I assume councils, which are the organisations that ultimately decide on the number of gaming machines operated.”
Giants Boxing Academy founder Craig McDougall can’t wait to open a purpose- built complex to share with Central Districts Cricket, as well as Aikido, fencing and possibly table tennis, at the Mitre 10 Park.
Craig and his 140-plus members – mostly youth whom many regarded as ‘at risk’ – will move from their inner-city premises to the sports park in August.
Funding has come from Lotteries, gaming trusts and local supporter Rodney Green, with $1.6 million of the $2 million confirmed, and Craig sees the potential for future expansion.
“It gives us a permanent and sustainable home for both the Hastings Giants Boxing Academy and the Hawke’s Bay Boxing Association, and being able to co-locate with CD Cricket greatly reduces the initial capital outlay as well as ongoing maintenance and servicing costs of the building.”
Craig adds that the park’s broader offerings are also a huge appeal.
“I expect we will use nearly everything to a greater or lesser degree – running track, sports fields, gymnasiums, pool, etc. I also think many of the existing sports will want to engage in boxing as part of their training.
“Boxing participants will be able to cross- train with indoor sports, including cricket, football, touch rugby, dodgeball, etc, using the larger indoor arena; and Central Districts Cricket will be able to use the boxing gym and training apparatus for their elite players too.
“The location also better serves the at-risk communities that have benefited from the academy’s wider community support programmes as it is more readily accessible from Camberley and Flaxmere.
“Being part of the wider sporting team and community will add value to us; however, we also feel we have much to give back in the form of service, strategies and enjoyment.”
Many local businesses have scored big-time in recent years from the development of sporting facilities, with over $150 million worth of investment in sports facility assets throughout the region.
Some of the biggest projects are now set for completion and are being handed over to local sports trusts to welcome users – predominantly Hawke’s Bay residents – and create economic windfalls from national and international sporting events.
Hawke’s Bay now has the potential to host events such as national and international Masters Games that use multiple venues, through to junior and senior Pacific, Oceania or world championships for canoe polo, athletics, basketball, volleyball and cricket.
The Mitre 10 Park in Hastings is now the largest multisport facility in New Zealand.
The sports park was created after Hastings District Council (HDC) sold Nelson Park – the home to athletics, rugby and league – for $18 million to be converted into large format retail in 2007. Council used $11 million of the sale proceeds to part fund the new sports park.
Today Mitre 10 Park is the regional home of netball, athletics, canoe polo and rugby league, joined by clubs and competitions in football, hockey, rugby, touch rugby, Ki o Rahi and futsal; and via the Hawke’s Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust (HBCFCT), there’s a fitness centre, high-performance gym, indoor sprint track, pole vault, café, medical services, meeting rooms and onsite accommodation.
As the Mitre 10 Park’s chief executive Jock MacIntosh puts it, a simple survey at athletic events confirms the sports park and the region offers everything athletes and their supporters want.
“When we host big athletics events, I survey attendees and ask how they rate the venue –we average over nine out of ten every time. I know I’m a bit biased but we are really lucky to have such a fantastic facility.”
Thanks to the vision of Sir Graeme Avery, who also led the development of the Millennium Institute of Sport, the Mitre 10 Park will this year welcome a $32 million regional aquatic centre with a 50-metre International Swimming Federation (FINA) global elite standard pool, a learn- to-swim pool and a hydrotherapy pool; a $5 million hostel with 60 beds; and a $3 million extension of the existing EIT Institute of Sport and Health Centre.
Operated by the HBCFCT, the three capital projects have been funded by the Lotteries Significant Projects Fund, the Provincial Growth Fund and the Infrastructure Reference Group’s shovel- ready funding.
The Hawke’s Bay community has also contributed $19 million, including $4 million from HDC.
Elsewhere at the park is an International Hockey Federation (FIH) Level 1 hockey turf, International Association Athletics Federations (IAAF) Level 2 athletics facilities, a multi-court canoe polo facility, sport fields for rugby, football and league, and netball courts. Over 300,000 people visit and use the park each year.
The founding trust of the Mitre 10 Park, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park Trust, will also complete a new build project in 2022 in partnership with Central Districts Cricket and Giants Boxing Academy.
The 2,000 m2 cricket and boxing centre will feature four indoor cricket lanes and a boxing area, comprising 600 m2 of purpose-built space supported by changing and office facilities for both codes.
A master plan for the 30-hectare sports park will set the future direction, helping identify opportunities for other sports as well as how to overcome traffic and carparking issues that have arisen due to the park’s growing popularity.
For HBCFCT chief executive David Nancarrow, the immediate focus is on ensuring the new aquatic complex covers its costs. Pools are regarded as a bottomless money pit but David is confident that HBCFCT can make it pay its way.
“The problem with a lot of pools is that once you fill them with swimmers, there’s not enough space for spectators, but we have the luxury of seating for 1,350 spectators, which will help us attract regional, national and southern hemisphere swim meets.”
The complex will also feature a learn-to- swim provision in a dedicated pool and a hydrotherapy pool for patient rehab and athlete recovery.
“We also hope that the swimming clubs will relocate and train here and be able to grow their sport. We will also have a water polo club, which is a new sport to the region and offers real growth opportunities.”
Economic opportunities from major sporting events
Hawke’s Bay Community Fitness Trust chief executive David Nancarrow says the opening of its three new builds – pool complex, hostel and indoor facility extension – creates significant economic opportunities for the region.
David says the region now offers a one- stop shop with a vast range of facilities to cater for one sport or many sports.
“Part and parcel of building these world- class facilities is attracting major events and an event strategy is firmly on our radar. We’re already starting to attract major events such as indoor pole vault events, and we have just won the North Island Weightlifting Championships, which draws 200 competitors.
Along with the vast facilities at Mitre 10 Park, Hawke’s Bay can now offer a larger multi-venue package including the two indoor arenas at Pettigrew Green Arena, field sports for rugby, football and hockey at Park Island, and cricket and rugby facilities at Napier’s McLean Park.
He says the new regional aquatic facility, with its FINA-approved 50-metre pool, will be the biggest in New Zealand with spectator capacity of 1,350, allowing for opportunities to host national and southern hemisphere events, which the trust is already pursuing.
Jock McIntosh says arguably the Mitre 10 Park is the best of its kind in New Zealand.
“We have the best athletics set-up, international Tier 1 hockey turfs and a world-class canoe polo set-up, so it becomes a very compelling mix of what is available.
The new hostel adds another new dimension for economic benefit, with national sports organisations such as athletics and rowing conducting high- performance training camps.
“This is a cool place for them to stay. They can use all the training and health science facilities here and stay onsite.”
Sport Facility build experience pays off
At the forefront in the construction of sport facilities is Apollo Projects, a business founded in Christchurch but now making a strong presence in Hawke’s Bay.
Apollo Projects Hawke’s Bay regional manager Steve Bailey and his team have been busy over the last 12 months building the regional aquatic centre in Hastings and the new indoor arena in Taradale.
Although relatively new to the region, their track record in large scale sport and community projects is impressive. Projects such as Te Pou Toetoe – Linwood Pools, He Puna Taimoana Hot Pools, Taiora: QEII Recreation and Sport Centre in Christchurch and High Performance Sport New Zealand’s Apollo Projects Centre has established the firm is the ‘go to’ for councils, trusts and commercial businesses.
As well as the two Hawke’s Bay sport projects, other current projects include a new aquatic centre in Gisborne, and indoor court facilities in Christchurch and Te Kuiti.
Steve says Apollo has gained a reputation for overcoming what is regarded in the industry as “Triple Constraint – of time, cost and scope”.
“There are multiple facets in play when it comes to delivering on time and on budget. Some of the obvious are good people, good systems and good communication between client and contractor but more recently other considerations have had more of an influence such as risk and resources.
“As design and build contractors we are well placed to manage this from day one of any project. If design does not consider your budget, then a tender process is nothing more than a lottery. We have a team of design managers and estimators who work solely on the pre-construction phase of every project.
Steve says this leads to facilities that not only look good but are functional and fit for purpose, and designed to budget.
“It’s then over to our team of highly skilled construction professionals who ensure that the quality is achieved and handed over on time and within budget.
When it comes to sport facilities Steve says participants and supporters aren’t too focussed on the design of a building but the overall experience.
“Whenever people go and play sport the buzz and excitement that is generated does not come from amazing architecture or fantastic detailing. It is more about the overall experience, whether playing or spectating.
The last couple of years have changed our lives on all fronts, at work and at home in sometimes unimaginable ways. It has changed the way we approach our work and personal lives, and has opened up opportunities for some. Some fortunate workers now have flexibility to balance their home and work lives in ways not previously possible. Positives have included the saving of commuting time which can now be re-focused into other work areas. However there are some not so wonderful outcomes for our workforce, including the lack of social interaction at work, feeling isolated, and for some the pressure to increase productivity when on a personal level, we have perhaps discovered the joys of staying at home a bit more, developed new hobbies, learned new languages, or even engaging our entrepreneurial streak starting new businesses.
Underlying all of this is the danger of our ongoing quest to “keep busy”, and to “do more”. Many of us end up feeling stressed at not being able to do things the way we used to, and feel the need to fill our time with “value-adding activity”. We risk creating an environment for burnout in our workplaces which could flow through to our personal lives. The demarcation point between our business and personal lives has become increasingly muddy.
How can we create a balance between healthy productivity and personal well- being?
Why are we under so much pressure to be “Busy”?
The introduction of technology over the last few decades has changed the pace of business. What used to be a typed memo, written by the sender, typed by the typist, signed then sent via snail mail, can be now be rattled off in an email in a minute, with the response possibly coming a minute later.
We have access to information at the click of a mouse button, whereas we used to have to troll through endless tomes at the library. On a daily basis we are bombarded with articles about business celebrities such as Elon Musk having a norm of 80 to 90 hours as a normal working week. Podcasts, social media posts extol the virtues of maximizing our productive time, with endless tools and “how to’s” to help us get there. Who hasn’t questioned their own self esteem when we see the over achievers on social media running marathons, climbing mountains and having wholesome holidays with their families? We have become experts in “multi-tasking” – using driving time to make phone calls, listening to podcasts while exercising, watching educational tutorials on our laptops on a so-called work break.
If we can’t meet these unrealistic expectations of ourselves to be productive, how are we increasing our risk of burnout in the office, but also, sadly in our personal lives?
Productivity is not the only measure of success
Productivity of itself is not a bad thing, but if not handled carefully, can result in some negative outcomes and risks to our health. Used wisely, productivity allows us to produce more work in a less amount of time, providing opportunities to engage in some other value adding activities. This is a good thing. But if we start applying this business logic to our personal lives, do we always need to be more productive in our personal lives and supposed down time?
The big question we need to ask ourselves is “why do we want to be more productive”. Different situations can require different outcomes. Sometimes it is not what we need to achieve; it is how we go about achieving it.
Boredom is not a bad word
Newsflash – it is ok to do nothing sometimes. Boredom can trigger our brains to imagine and be creative by considering the unfamiliar and to explore where we may not have been before.
Handling boredom is an important skill, as it helps us to re-focus and self regulate. When we are now so used to instant gratification and everything happening so quickly, it is a good lesson to take a moment, develop better self-control, and regulate our speech, actions and emotions. Ever heard of “sleeping on a problem”?
Finally
Productivity is an important quality to encourage in both our business and personal lives, but they must have a clear goal in mind. Putting stress on ourselves to be constantly productive is not a healthy or sustainable practice. Making sure we allow ourselves time to “take a moment” and recuperate is essential in our crazy world. Look after yourselves.
New Hastings HIVE manager Claire St John Pedlar is stamping her own mark on Hastings HIVE bringing her “can-do” attitude and creative flair to the HIVE at a time when COVID-19 has been an unwelcome disruption to all.
From positive affirmations and quotes on the fridge in the café area, through to a morning coworkers’ quiz to kick off the day, Claire is enjoying her role as manager whilst operating her own marketing businesses from a desk in the shared “i-desk” coworking area.
“It’s such a great place to come and work from. There’s a wide cross-section of people here and that adds to the atmosphere. We have all faced challenges recently, but we also uplift each other.
The HIVE will become even more vibrant when Stage 3 opens. The smaller format offices have proven very popular with all but one Stage 2 office now taken. And hopefully we can soon emerge from COVID restrictions and reintroduce our get togethers in the central café area and create an awesome co-working vibe.
We can’t wait.”
Stage 3 construction underway
A vision to create the Hawke’s Bay’s first large-scale co-working space is reaching its final stage of completion, having welcomed many new businesses since their launch in January 2020.
Inspired by shared work place concepts pioneered in international trading centres like London, New York and Toronto, Rob and Jenny Gill’s vision is to create a modern co-working space with all the benefits of a corporate office space but with a super affordable and flexible rental model, for small and emerging businesses.
In hindsight not the greatest timing the Gills will admit, but they are thrilled now to need the third and final Stage 3 area to meet the demand for flexible office space. Local Hastings based MCL Construction are providing and managing the Stage 3 fit out with a completion date in June this year.
There have been many challenges in the last two years but they are proud to have provided a new home to many local, national and international businesses, keen to participate in the Hawke’s Bay growth story. Hastings HIVE now has over 20 organisations on site, from one person start-ups to larger companies with multiple teams.
Stage 3 is set to welcome yet more businesses with five new four-person offices, another video conferencing suite and three more sound-proofed i-booths for those personal phone calls, or one-on-one zoom meets.
It is also really pleasing that the HIVE has become the base for a number of not-for-profit organisations such as recent addition, the Graeme Dingle Foundation, who provide inspirational programmes supporting NZ youth; Volunteering Hawke’s Bay who support volunteer organisations within the Bay; Puhoro Trust who provide targeted tuition for young Maori to achieve excellence in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths); and The Wharariki Trust providing grass root support to Flaxmere and its diverse community.
Some recent corporate additions include DCA Architects, The Recruitment Network, Newline (bathroom fit-out specialists) and Sandpiper Communications.
A recent big mover in the HIVE is BECA. Their Hawke’s Bay Market Leader and Senior Associate Matt Sanders says the Hive is the perfect spot for dynamic businesses, providing flexibility to grow as the business and team grow.
“The HIVE has allowed us to quickly establish our permanent office in Te Matau-a-Māui. We started in one of the mid-sized offices, and on the back of supporting our clients in the region have grown rapidly and now occupy a large office fronting onto Market Street.
Rob and Claire (HIVE community manager) were fantastic to work with during our move, and the flexibility offered allowed us to increase our footprint without any disruption to our business.
This vision has been driven by Dr Colin Hutchison, who will be joined by local surgeons and local investors in creating a state of the art world class hospital. Kaweka Hospital’s stage 1 will open in July in Canning Road, Hastings and is expected to undertake 5000 operations a year. Stage 2 is also under construction and is set to open in December 2024.
What’s your career background?
I trained as a doctor in the UK initially starting my career in adult medicine. I then spent five years doing research in new technologies to treat people with kidney failure before moving to Hawke’s Bay to be the region’s specialist kidney doctor. From that I moved into public healthcare leadership with the Hawke’s Bay DHB, for five years including a year as the Chief Operating Officer.
What was the motivation for moving to New Zealand?
For family reasons. I had spent my childhood in North America and although I enjoyed living and working in the UK, I knew that I wanted to give my own children broader life experiences and we found that Hawke’s Bay was very attractive with the beaches and access to the mountains. I came across a kidney doctor role at the Hawke’s Bay hospital online and the region looked really attractive, so we came to give it a go.
What was the inspiration for establishing a new hospital?
At the moment in New Zealand there is a lack of healthcare facilities and this causes challenges for senior doctors who want to provide really good care for their patients. Therefore as a group of senior doctors in Hawke’s Bay we thought outside of the box to solve the problem. Over the course of the last couple of years we have designed and raised money to build a new private hospital. Although the vision has been forming over many years, we really got going on the project in 2019.
What suite of services will the new hospital offer?
Our first stage will offer elective surgery and will have four operating theatres in which we aim to do about 5000 operations a year. We will provide a broad mix of surgical disciplines including general surgery, urology, ENT and gynaecology. We want to deliver a new way of surgical care. Presently a lot of healthcare consumers are disempowered and don’t get a good healthcare experience. One of the reasons for this is that healthcare organisations are quite old and have facilities that are run down.
At Kaweka they will be cared for in a state of the art, modern healthcare facility. Our Hospital will be the first 4 star, Green Star Healthcare facility in Hawke’s Bay and the most earthquake secure building. We aim to create a warm healing environment for all of our patients and a great place for our staff to work. Our staff have been recruited because they have real passion for caring for patients and that is from our doctors and nurses through to our support staff and management team. They are all dedicated to giving a first class health experience and raising the bar for healthcare in Hawke’s Bay.
How does private and public health sector work together?
I really see that the private sector is here to support the public sector. The public sector provides the bulk of healthcare in New Zealand and always will, but they only have so many resources at any given time and as a private partner to the DHB we are here to support them and help them deliver elective surgery.
How did the name Kaweka Hospital come about?
We did some brainstorming with a really creative design team. Our aim was to have a name that represented the fact as an organisation we were “from the people of Hawke’s Bay for the people of Hawke’s Bay”.
We looked at natural landscapes and when you look out west you see the Kaweka Ranges rising high above and cradling the region and protecting it from the elements. This was our inspiration. We partnered with Architecture HDT who have used the Kaweka Ranges as a strong influence on the architectural design of the hospital. We are very grateful to Ngati Kahungunu for approving our use of the name.
This is a private entity establishing Kaweka – how did it you approach getting local investors interested?
Most hospitals are part of larger organisations now and as consequence a majority of NZ hospitals are not owned by New Zealanders anymore. This means there is a lack of local decision making and direction. Our surgeons and anaesthetists wanted to guide this project for the future of Hawke’s Bay and that is easier by keeping the hospital in local ownership and governance.
So we now have some incredible Hawke’s Bay families that have invested and are supporting the hospital.
How do you see Kaweka Hospital evolving over the next decade?
Healthcare needs in New Zealand will grow immensely over the next few years as our population ages and unfortunately we have a population that has many health problems. Kaweka is in a great position to react quickly to the needs in our community and in our Stage 2 facility, which is underway and expected to be completed by the end of 2024, we will add a new radiology suite with MRI, CT and Breast imaging, a new cardiac catheterization laboratory in a 6000 m2 complex.
What has been the biggest challenge so far?
We have had to raise a lot of money and that requires a lot of conversations whether that is with Hawke’ Bay investors or banking partners and that means a lot of people need to understand the project in detail and make sure that we are doing the right thing for Hawke’s Bay. We have to show that we have a sound financial structure and good governance around us.
You were already busy before taking on a project of this scale – how have you managed this?
I have had to step back from clinical medicine over the last few years. Most doctors work fulltime either private or public and I have dropped a lot of my clinical hours in the last two years to make this possible but I also love surrounding myself with really good people and I have an amazing team at Kaweka, which certainly does lighten the workload.
Do you have any other projects underway?
I’m really pleased to just announce a collaboration with surgeons in Palmerston North to help them build a new hospital, which will complement Kaweka.
What are the selling points in trying to recruit and attract new staff to Hawke’s Bay?
The selling points are having really great facilities to live and work in. Surgeons spend 15 plus years training so they want to work in an environment that makes it easier for them to perform their skills. We will surround our surgeons with confident support staff and the best of modern technology.
Hawke’s Bay offers an awesome lifestyle, great schools, easy access to the outdoors, which when you come from a city in the UK, like I do it is a very attractive place to live. But to attract the best doctors and nurses to Hawke’s Bay we also have to have a great medical environment, so if we can provide that and then showcase the lifestyle, we are on to a winner.
What do you do in your spare time?
We have a young family and we really enjoy getting out and about in the Bay. In the winter we ski and the summer we love the beach and an ocean swim.
