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Port Nikau Development
Contents 1 Site Context 2 Whangarei Character 3 Regional maps 3.1 Regional topography 3.2 Native vegetation 3.4 Transport 4 Catchment maps 4.1 Soils 4.2 Native vegetation 4.3 Hydrology+Harbour charts 4.4 Zoning 5 Site maps 5.1 Hydrology+Harbour Charts 5.2 Transport 5.3 Slope 5.4 Reset Plan
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1. Site Context
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2. Whangarei Character Whangarei offers a relaxed and affordable lifestyle and a welcoming sub-tropical climate. It has the highest average temperatures in New Zealand, which allows year-round outdoor activities. First and foremost, Whangarei is an affordable place to live. Average Council residential rates are around $1,400 per year and in recent years. Whangarei is home to the region's base hospital, and well served by neighbourhood health centres. There are single-sex and co-ed schools and educational opportunities are growing in the District. A new private secondary school opened recently and tertiary education courses are increasing. With a broad range of cultural amenities its library is a state-of-the-art, modern building providing a wide range of services including broadband internet access as well as traditional print-based services. The arts craft sector is prolific and on display at community arts centres and in a large number of galleries and retail stores. Local theatre and opera groups thrive and Whangarei is on the itinerary of many touring shows. Whangarei's central business district (CBD) is undergoing a major upgrade in a Council-commercial partnership and is developing as a high quality boutique shopping area offering an enticing retail and coffee break experience. The country's leading growers' market sells an extraordinary range of fresh just-picked produce every Saturday morning and is a hugely popular weekly community event. Cafes and restaurants have increased in number and range in recent years to offer cosmopolitan dining.
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History of Whangerei Whangarei district and the Northland region as a whole has long been home to many MÄ ori hapu and whanau. Numerous vessels/waka involved in the early migrations of the ‘Vikings of the Pacific’ initially landed in the north and settled temporarily in the region to acclimatise before spreading progressively throughout the entire country. Captain James Cook in the Endeavour came to the harbour entrance in 1769 and named the area Bream Bay. The first European settlers arrived in 1839 and by 1845 there were 12 European families known to be living in the Whangarei. From 1855, a small town developed on the banks of the Hatea River, clustered around a natural port known then as Ahipupu and known today as the Town Basin. It grew southwards from there around Walton Street to become the cultural, entertainment, commercial and service centre for Northland. In 1965, Whangarei was officially declared a City.
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Economy Whangarei district has a population base of 80,000, with about 27,000 employees working for more than 6,500 businesses. The area generates approximately half of the Northland regional economy. Advantages include a deep water port, a relatively stable workforce, sub-tropical climate with a long growing season and large areas of available, flat land. Whangarei is also the home to New Zealand’s only oil refinery, one of the District’s largest employers. Whangarei airport is located within minutes of the city centre with daily flights to and from Auckland, providing access to other New Zealand airports. By road, Auckland - New Zealand’s largest city with a population of more than 1.2 million - is approximately 2 hours away. Boat building is a traditional Whangarei industry and produces a range of vessels from super yachts to tugs, aluminium work boats, tourist charter boats and fibreglass, composite and traditional wooden boats. Up to 600 international cruising boats visit New Zealand annually. A significant proportion of these make their first point of entry at Marsden Cove and visit Whangarei where many undertake maintenance and a refit. This industry brings in excess of $50 million into the economy each year and employs around 500 people. Business and industry agencies and Council recognise the value of sustainable investment in contributing to the growth of the Whangarei economy and the well-being of its people. Whangarei offers the investor great opportunities for relocation, joint venture or an acquisition.
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The environment in Whangarei is a warm, green subtropical climate, clean fresh air, 270km of extraordinary coastline characterised by irregular rocky headlands, sheltered harbours, sandy bays, estuaries and occasionally tidal mangrove flats. The stunning drama and diversity of coastline and offshore islands coupled with rolling green pastureland and flat lowlands, wild primordial forests, impressive limestone features and old volcanoes. Coastline and Waterways Whangarei District has 270km of coastline, characterised by irregular rocky headlands, sheltered harbours, sandy bays, estuaries and occasionally tidal mangrove flats. The stunning drama and diversity of coastline and offshore islands are a principal foundation of the District’s tourism industry. The coastal dunes are home to several endangered native and introduced species of plants and birds such as plovers, godwits, turnstones and tattlers. The District has a dense network of rivers and streams although most are short with relatively small catchments. Rivers in the District such as the Hatea, Ngunguru and Mangapai discharge into large harbours or estuaries. Rivers regarded as of outstanding ecological value in the District include the Whirinaki River which is dominated by native vegetation and a largely unmodified natural ecosystem. Whangarei Harbour is the largest harbour and estuary on the east coast of Northland. Apart from its importance as a shipping port and boat building centre, it provides a major shallow estuarine habitat with extensive mudflats, saltmarshes, shellbarks and mangroves and supports a rich diversity of international and resident coastal wading birds which gather seasonally in their thousands. Mangroves and saltmarshes in the harbour form important rearing grounds for juvenile fish species and some commercially exploited species and provide important roosting and feeding areas for a wide variety of birds.
Environment
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The dominant land use in Whangarei is agricultural with 90% of the area of the District in agricultural production. 65% of the land is in pasture. Dairy farming predominates followed by sheep, beef cattle, deer, goats, horses and pigs. Processing of milk is carried out at the Fonterra dairy factory at Kauri, just north of Whangarei city. The next major land use is forestry especially exotic plantation pine forests covering 18% of the area. Mature and regenerating native bush covers about 11% of the District. There is also a well developed horticulture industry growing avocados, citrus, kiwifruit and flowers with approximately 1,406 hectares in production. These are distributed over six distinct ecological areas including the southern portion of Whangaruru ecological area, Manaia ecological area, Whangarei ecological area, the southern portion of the Tangihua ecological area, Waipu ecological area and about a third of the Tokatoka ecological area. Each area has special and unique features including its vegetative history, flora and fauna and strategies for protection. Just over 10% of the original indigenous forests exist today. The most common form in the District is the podocarp, kauri, and broadleaf forests found on the rolling to steep hill country areas. Mixed podocarp and broadleaf forest is the second most common forest form in the District and is found predominantly on clay soils and rolling hill country. Small fragmented remnants or individual trees of old volcanic broadleaf forests survive on rich volcanic soils of Maungatapere, Maunu, Whatitiri, Maungakaramea and Glenbervie. Some small stands of kauri survive, one of which can be viewed at the A.H. Reed Park at Whareora Road. The coastline and off-shore islands were originally covered in pohutukawa, puriri, karaka, kowhai and cabbage trees. Examples of this may be seen at Whangarei and other parts of the coast. Examples of the original extensive wetlands survive in the District. They are important habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal species including the brown teal, banded rail, New Zealand dabchick, marsh crake, fern bird and bittern as well as a variety of aquatic plants and native fresh water fish.
Land Use
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3. Regional maps
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scale: 1:200,000
3.1. Regional topography The Topography map defiines the ridges and valleys that surround Whangarei city. The topography creates a natural bowl like catchement that all runs into the Whanagarei harbour
3.2. Native vegetation The Native vegetation map shows that Whangarei is surrounded by significantly large native patches. Especially North of the Whangarei city. This is encouraging for the present and future ecological values of Whangarei
3.3. Transport The rail runs straight througn the center of Whangarei and past Port Nikau. this is great accessablity for comercial or industrial needs. Connectivity is not a problem for the site becasue of its central location. Also connection to the outer coastline by road is evident.
4. Catchment maps
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scale: 1:75,000
4.1. Soil types There are a variating change of soil types within the Whangarei catchemnet. The site is on reclaimed, man made fill. The fill is harbour sand and mud from when the harbour was dredged.
4.2. Native vegetation Most of the patches are dominated by indigenous forest.some text and the City Center is lacking in native patches. corridors and small patches are need to conect the western existing pathces with the eastern existing patches.
4.3. Hydrology+Harbour Charts The chart clearly shows the dredged channel and all thesome text shallow water and sediment buildup. This is caused from all the sediment build up from the natural catchements
4.4. Zoning The site is surrounded by business zoning aswell as residential zoning across the channel. The site currently has its own zoning designation.
5. Site map
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scale: 1:20,000
5.1. Hydrology+Harbour Charts The estuary collects water primarily from the hills to the north, and also the city of whangerei. The deep water channel adjacent to the port is able to birth (like a baby) large vessels.
5.2. Transport The current uses of the rail are freighting out logs, dairy produce and building materials The accessablity of the rail on the western edge of the site expands the opportunities for industrial uses and transport possibility.
5.3. Slope The site is flat. It is flanked by cliffs to the east, which represent the edge of the coastline before the land reclaimation.
5.4. Reset plan Reset proposed this zoning prior to the economic downturn. The plan was based on an increase in population and retail activity, which has since declined.