Motueka makes the cut with $1b fund

A proposal to build 200 homes in Motueka is one of 35 projects nationally invited to enter the negotiation stage of a major Kāinga Ora fund.

The Motueka West Phase 1 Whakarewa Street Proposal has been invited to enter the final step of the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) process.

In October, the Tasman District Council was invited to submit three projects to the fund for consideration. The Mohua Venture in Tākaka for 100 homes and a Wakefield Village proposal for 321 homes did not progress.

The Infrastructure Acceleration Fund is to see $1 billion worth of funding allocated towards infrastructure for housing within the next five years.

More than 200 expressions of interest were submitted to the IAF last year.

The Motueka West Phase 1 Whakarewa Street Proposal was submitted by Tasman District Council and Wakatū Incorporation in October.

Wakatū Incorporation Group property and commercial general manager Iain Sheves said news the proposal had made the shortlist was ‘‘exciting’’ and represented a big milestone.

However, he acknowledged there was still significant work to be done before the real development began.

Tasman District Council strategic policy manager Dwayne Fletcher said the invitation to progress the Motueka West proposal represented a good outcome being achieved for housing in the combined market.

The council would be working with Kāinga Ora in the coming weeks to meet all identified criteria as part of the final evaluation.

Kāinga Ora would look to make decisions around final funding from July onwards.

The IAF was open to territorial authorities, developers and iwi to apply for councils to be funded for transport, three waters or flood management projects needed to service the development of new or additional housing in the medium to short term.