Venkat Raman
Auckland, February 7, 2021
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff with (from left) Yan Sun, Yunesh and Ashmeeta Adhikar Pakharel with their 17-month-old daughter (Picture Supplied)
An extensive and yet affordable range of multiple apartment blocks and townhouses coming up in Wiri, Manukau is changing the living style of Aucklanders, providing a part solution to housing shortage in the country’s largest city.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Indian Newslink that the Auckland Council has largely reduced the time taken to provide resource consent to housing projects.
“We have given consent to more than 16,000 dwellings in 2020, which is the highest number in a year. That is also more than the consents given from 2009 to 2012, all the four years combined,” he said on Friday, February 5, 2021.
Multiethnic community living
He was speaking after participating in a brief ceremony at Pacific Gardens in Wiri, Manukau, where 3000 homes with several other facilities are coming up in stages.
The ceremony included the handing over the key to a two-bedroom apartment owned by Nepalese couple Yunesh and Ashmeeta Adhikar Pakharel.
Mr Goff accompanied the couple and their 17-month-old daughter as they moved into their new home, to become a part of a growing multi-ethnic ‘Community City.’
The Pakharel couple are first homebuyers of a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of Jasmine Apartments within Pacific Gardens, which will eventually have 1200 houses.
Modern fittings and fixtures
All homes include Fisher & Paykel ovens, cook tops, rangehoods and dishwashers and Englefield taps and shower mixers.
The cost of the Jasmine Apartments range from $350,000 for a Studio, $594,000 (two bedrooms) and $678,000 (three-bedroom) terraced homes. All these have been sold.
A major selling point for Pacific Gardens is its location right next to the White-Water Park, with ready access to motorways, public transport, the airport, schools and universities, Manukau Shopping Centre and parks and gardens.
“Auckland still faces a significant housing challenge, with global uncertainty, low interest rates and the removal of loan-to-value ratio restrictions continuing to push up house prices. But projects such as Pacific Gardens are an answer to address the challenge. We will do our best to facilitate such developments,” Mr Goff said.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff handing over the key of the apartment to Yunesh Pakharel, watched by his wife Ashmeeta, their daughter and Yan Sun (Picture Supplied)
About Pacific Gardens
Pacific Gardens is being developed on a 9.45 hectare (about 23.47 acres) of land including lifestyle apartments, a hotel and more than 8000 Sq m of commercial space.
The privately funded subdivision features community green spaces, pocket parks for families and walkways connecting the wider neighbourhood. The plan also allows for a hotel.
The project is being constructed by Changda International, a subsidiary of Weifang Chanda Construction Group, rated as one of the top 100 competitive construction companies in China.
Pacific Gardens General Manager Yan (Sam) Sun told Indian Newslink that the demand for houses is high and that the current phase is sold out.
Three stages of development
“Pacific Gardens is being constructed in three stages. The First Stage accounts for development in four phases- Stage 1A, 1B, IC and ID. We have completed the first three; and buildings under Stage 1D, comprising 103 Townhouses will start soon. While all the stages will contain multi-apartment blocks, a majority of the properties will be townhouses, in keeping with the market trend. Construction under Stages 2 and 3 will be undertaken over the next four years,” he said.
To date Pacific Gardens has completed 65 properties (21 apartments and 44 townhouses), which have all been sold or settled. It is about to start another 103 townhouses, which will be built over the next two years with a total estimated cost of $45 million.
“The community is already truly cosmopolitan, reflecting the 2021 heartbeat of Auckland. In the Jasmine Apartments alone there is a multitude of ethnicities with people from Nepal, Fiji, India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Africa and the Middle East,” Mr Sun said.
An artist’s impression of a section of the Pacific Gardens (from Website)
Integrating into the market
Mr Sun said that Changda Construction decided to integrate into the New Zealand construction market, using local talent to design, build and sell the Pacific Gardens homes.
“While we have many years of experience in China and are known for innovation and new technology in the construction sector, we believe in working with the people who live and work around us if we want to be part of the local community,” he said.
The decision has led to closer working relationship with regulatory bodies such as Auckland Council, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), Auckland Transport, Watercare and Vector. “Understanding the rules around compliance has been a learning curve made easier for Changda NZ through its relationships with its local partners and contractors.
About Changda International NZ:
Changda International New Zealand was established in 2013 as a subsidiary of Weifang Changda Construction Group. Founded in 1949, the Group is today rated as one of the top 100 competitive construction enterprises in China. It has more than 3000 direct employees and an annual turnover of more than NZ$3.4 billion. It is involved in residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects.
The Group is also at the forefront of developing new technology for the construction sector. It has won numerous national science and technology awards for innovation, with a reputation for quality design and construction.
Changda International teamed with some of New Zealand’s top talent in the urban planning, architecture and engineering space, including ASC architecture, Re-Imagine and Beca, when it started the project in 2018.
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