The Urban Advisory provided expert commercial, design, and environmental advisory services to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia Trust to assist in the development and purchase of housing at the Hall Road, Kerikeri site.
The Challenge
To bring Ngāti Rēhia’s housing aspirations to life, the project was guided by a vision of whānau wellbeing and cultural continuity. This meant more than building homes—it required creating a foundation for intergenerational security and mana-enhancing development. The process involved forging a joint venture with Gemscott for the Hall Road development, designing a legal and financial framework that upheld Ngāti Rēhia’s values while enabling sustainable growth, and securing government funding streams such as the He Taupua Grant and Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga Affordable Rental Pathway to ensure affordability and long-term resilience for whānau.
The Solution
The core solution was the creation of an integrated and regenerative development framework for the Hall Road site, designed to enable Ngāti Rēhia to secure affordable rental housing for its whānau while upholding cultural integrity and environmental stewardship. This approach combined a multi-phased Commercial, Design, and Environmental Advisory process to navigate the complexities of development, alongside the application of the Regenerative Kāinga Development Framework and Ngāti Rēhia Design Principles to ensure every aspect reflected tikanga, traditions, and a commitment to kaitiakitanga. Underpinning this vision was the establishment of an optimal legal and financial structure, supported by a clear pathway to access Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga funding for the acquisition of 12 affordable rental units—creating a model that balances cultural aspirations with long-term sustainability.
The Journey
The process involved a coordinated series of strategic and tactical steps across multiple work streams to guide the project from vision to implementation. This began with defining Ngāti Rēhia’s housing aspirations, role in the development, and key strategic objectives through workshops and foundational input documents. Detailed scenario analysis was then undertaken to assess a range of property acquisition and tenure options—including affordable rental, public housing, and leasehold models—against agreed criteria to determine the most effective pathway. Alongside this, expert support was provided in the negotiation and review of critical legal and contractual documents such as the Heads of Agreement, Joint Venture Agreement, and Sale and Purchase Agreement. The work concluded with hands-on implementation and monitoring, including support for the RFP process, design input into the masterplan, assistance with consultant appointments, and ongoing financial and project oversight through monthly reporting.
