PATUMAHOE VILLAGE INC.

In response to the AUCKLAND UNLEASHED strategy, PATUMAHOE VILLAGE INC wishes to present a
case for the Patumahoe and Mauku district for inclusion in the AUCKLAND PLAN.

Background of Patumahoe Village Inc.

PATUMAHOE VILLAGE INC was formed in 2010 as a result of unprecedented growth with residential
sub-divisions, and local concerns that this growth is ad-hoc and unplanned. No consideration has
been made for the future requirements for the business and recreational needs of the village.

These concerns were reinforced when it was revealed by the Franklin District Council that
Patumahoe Village had not been scheduled for any review, despite this growth. It was suggested
that a community led design may be the best way to address these shortcomings.

We applied for, and received a grant from the ARC, so that we could consult the community and
prepare a community led submission for the 2012 LTCCP (Long Term Council Community Plan).

Over-view of Patumahoe and Mauku

Patumahoe is an existing rural community with well established infrastructure. It is located centrally
between Pukekohe and Waiuku and is within commutable distance to central Auckland. It is
currently serviced by a Superette, an ITM retail outlet, a garage, a takeaway, a bakery, a hairdresser,
a boutique clothes shop, an Arts & Craft outlet, a Hotel, and a Village Bar & Kitchen. It has a Primary
school, a Play-centre, and a Preschool. There is a Community church, a Volunteers Fire Station, a
War memorial Hall, as well as a Rugby Club, a Cricket Club, a Tennis Club, and a Bowling Club. There
is also an existing railway adjacent to the village, where a station could be a future option.

Mauku is a settlement approximately 3 km from Patumahoe, and is aligned a local primary school
and a community owned War memorial hall. It is predominantly an area of lifestyle properties and
has places of interest such as Wrights water-gardens and the Historic St Brides Church. It is also in
close proximity to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway.

The Patumahoe and Mauku district has a very strong historical background, from the early Maori
and European settlements, to being a place of huge significance for producing food during the War.
The importance of horticulture is just as significant today, and this forms the basis of local industry.

Sporting interests also play a big part in the community, particularly in the codes of Rugby, Cricket
and Tennis. The Mauku cricket club is the oldest cricket club in New Zealand, and recently celebrated
150 years of existence. The Rugby club is also this year celebrating 125 years of existence.

The acknowledgement of our heritage has been one of the considerations of the Patumahoe Village
Inc, so that the history can be preserved for the future generations.

The district is also very fortunate in that it has retained many isolated blocks of native bush, and it is
this environment that has added to the attraction of living here. The Whakaupoko Landcare Group
was formed 7 years ago by a group of private landowners with a common interest in protecting the
flora and fauna. The main objectives of the group have been pest control, weed control, and the
planting of new sites. Bird surveys are carried out 4 times a year, and it been very noticeable the
increases in bird activity. Recently the Whakaupoko Landcare Group has shared links with the
Patumahoe Village Inc, and it is another focus of our group to provide public access to some of the
protected bush-lots.

In recent years the district has become a very popular place for cycling and walking, and the
Patumahoe and Mauku Halls have long been used as a base for visiting cycling clubs. The Hunter
road/ Woodhouse road/ Patumahoe road circuit is also a well used walking and cycling route. It is
therefore a focus of the group is to ensure that any future development makes provision for these
activities.

Community Consultation

With the assistance of the ARC grant a comprehensive community consultation programme was
instigated to determine the concerns of the community and to get suggestions for future growth.

A total of five street parties were held, attended by over 140 people. The main concerns raised were
notably –

 That the ‘Village feel’ must not be lost as a result of future planning.
 The increased traffic volumes, and the current speed limits leading in to Patumahoe and
Mauku are detrimental to a safe environment.
 The encroaching residential development may hinder the ability to expand the current
levels of Retail and Recreational facilities adjacent to the Village centre.

The suggestions for future growth were then formatted into a questionnaire, which was presented
at an Open Day, held on 15th May. This was very successful event with over 250 people attending in
the 4 hour period. The response to this questionnaire is summarised below.

No
SUGGESTIONS PUT FORWARD BY THE COMMUNITY Agree Disagree
comment
A Create a village centre which allows for future retail. The
common consensus is that this should be located in the
vicinity of John street, and the current ‘Pipe Services’ site be
zoned for this purpose. New buildings should be of old style
96% 0% 4%
construction to reflect the history and character of the village.
Additional retail facilities should include food outlets, cafes, a
pharmacy and boutique shops. This should also have open
spaces to accommodate a Farmers market.
B Create a commercial zone to allow for an Information centre,
and possibly a future Library and Museum. Another area
should also be set aside for service industries such as the Fire 81% 4% 15%
Station (as this will probably need to be shifted to allow for
Retail expansion), St John’s ambulance and Medical rooms.
C The current old shops along Commerce street need to be
70% 11% 19%
upgraded and reverted back to Retail.
 D The land behind these shops is low lying and untidy, and
needs to be provided with ‘a purpose’. This area may not be
suitable for building upon, but one suggestion could be to use 48% 26% 26%
it as car-parking for a future Supermarket, accessed from both
Fletcher Lane and Woodhouse road.
E Through traffic must be diverted from the village centre with
52% 37% 11%
the formation of new roads.
F Traffic calming measures need to be implemented, and
89% 4% 7%
allowances made for Cycle / Pedestrian use.
G Include Mauku district in the planning process to utilise the
additional primary schooling capacity available, and to
promote local attractions on route such as Wrights water 93% 0% 7%
gardens, historic St. Bride’s church, and the proximity to the
Glenbrook vintage railway.
H Investigate ways of increasing public transport usage, such as
89% 7% 4%
bus services and making provision for a future train station.
I Expand the current level of recreational land to include more
sporting activities, plus parks and reserves. Include for a multi- 96% 0% 4%
sports facility and a children’s playground.
J Look at beautification projects such as underground power,
landscaped paved areas, feature light standards and street 77% 4% 19%
furniture.
K Upgrade the existing toilet block. 81% 0% 19%
L Designate an area for a future Service station. 81% 4% 15%
M Designate an area for light industry. The common consensus is
that this should be located next to the railway at the Hunters 70% 15% 15%
road end of the village.
N Designate areas for future residential growth, with possible
consideration for a Retirement home, and Motel / B&B type 74% 15% 11%
accommodation.

Structure Plan Submission

Following on from the Community Consultation, we wish to prepare a ‘draft’ Structure Plan for a
final review by the Community in August 2011, before submitting it to the Auckland Council in
October 2011. This document will then hopefully be supported by our Local Board members as part
of the 2012 LTCCP (Long term Council Community Plan).

From the above feedback, the following observations need to be considered:

 It is very clear that the community wishes to centralise the Business zone for Retail and
Commercial adjacent to John Street. The current ‘Franklin District Growth Strategy’ states
that “Patumahoe currently has 3 hectares of business zoned land” and “Patumahoe will
require a further 1 hectare by 2021 and another 2 hectares by 2051”. Population growth is
stated as being the key economic driver for determining business zoned land requirements,
but Patumahoe services a much larger area than the urban district, so our future needs may
actually be greater. It also recommends that future economic activity should be located on
 sites adjacent to the existing business zoned land, but this has been ‘landlocked’ by
residential and recreational zones. One solution could be to re-design some of the
recreational space, and create a new zone for light industry on the outskirts near the
railway.
 It is very clear that the community believes the current level of land allocated to recreational
is insufficient for the future needs of the District. We note that there is no room to expand
the existing Rugby Club and Cricket Club. There is also no space available to accommodate
other sporting groups such as Soccer and Netball which have teams but no facilities. The
current ‘Franklin District Growth Strategy’ does not consider the fact that a majority of
members do not actually live within the confines of the Patumahoe boundary, and therefore
the needs are greater than what is currently allocated. Community feedback also supports
more land for parks and reserves to enhance the Village concept, and it is strongly
recommended that an ‘All-purpose’ community facility should be built to support the
changing needs of this community. One solution is to re-designate an adjacent parcel of land
to recreational, and then create new zones for future residential.
 There appears to be some acceptance that residential growth is inevitable, as long as it is
planned and considerations are made for community places and linkages, consistent with a
rural village theme. Apart from the McMiken development, other areas proposed for future
growth which generally comply with the principles of liveable neighbourhoods (comprising a
400m walking catchment) are the Askew property next to Carter road, and the Stevens
property in Patumahoe road which is currently run as a Poultry farm. Mauku could also
support some rural residential development.
 Traffic is a major concern raised by residents, and there is an overwhelming support for
traffic calming measures to be implemented. These could involve a number of options
including speed restrictions, localised narrowing of roads and surface changes, signage and
heavy traffic restrictions etc. The option of diverting traffic from the Village is a very
controversial issue, as traffic detracts from a safe environment but on the other hand it also
takes business away from the Village. It would therefore seem more logical in the short
term to create new roads that support the Village, and takes the pressure off the current
single route system. A bypass corridor could then be noted in the Structure Plan in case it
needs to be reconsidered when the effects of growth in neighbouring districts such as
Kingseat are realised. There is also overwhelming support for walkways and cycleways to be
included within any future planning of transport, as well as making connections to sites of
ecological and historical significance.