Red zone housing advances to next stage after unanimous vote

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

A council plan to explore selling or leasing red zone land for housing has sailed through a committee meeting.

After about 15 minutes of explanations and a few questions, the vote was five to nil in favour, with one apology, during Tuesday’s meeting.

The motion was put by mayor Phil Mauger and seconded by Dr Te Maire Tau, the ūpoko of Ngāi Tūāhuriri.

Selling, leasing or otherwise disposing of red zone land has been an idea in the public realm since at least 2019, when the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (Oarc) Regeneration Plan was published.

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It identified 18 areas where “edge housing“ could be established, based on high level analysis of ground conditions. Council staff reduced that number to 11 by combining parcels.

About 12 hectares of the 602ha river corridor is being considered for housing.

They are spread throughout the red zone, with sites on Stanmore Rd, Gayhurst Rd, McBratneys Rd, Birchfield Ave, Wainoni Rd, Avonside Dr and Breezes Rd, among others.

At the meeting of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Committee, members agreed to staff proposals to issue a “request for information” (RFI) from community housing providers, Kāinga Ora, iwi, charitable trusts and private developers.

These entities would provide ideas to the council, who would use them to create a more concrete plan for housing. Staff would return to the committee with those plans in August, said red zone manager Dave Little.

“An RFI is not a procurement, rezoning decision, or approval to develop land,” according to committee papers.

The committee does not have the authority to dispose of red zone land, a feat which can only be accomplished by the full city council.

The committee members are Mauger, deputy mayor Victoria Henstock and councillor Kelly Barber, representing the city council, and Dr Te Maire Tau, Tutehounuku (Nuk) Korako and Tania Wati, representing Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga and the Te Ihutai Ahu Whenua Trust.

Wati was in Singapore with the prime minister and put in an apology.

Korako was voted chairperson and Henstock as deputy, both unanimously. All of the committee votes were unanimous and approved staff recommendations.

The committee is supposed to meet four times a year and provide governance over the Ōtakaro-Avon River Corridor.