New whare for Wakatū

Proposed development on the west bank of the Mahitahi river, Whakatū.

A NEW WHARE FOR WAKATŪ

Iain Sheves, Wakatū Group General Manager Property and Commercial (Strategy and Risk), tells us about an exciting concept for the Mahitahi river precinct.

Over the last three years we have been working with a range of partners on a plan to revitalise our block of Tenths’ land on the west bank of the Mahitahi River. The whānau of Wakatū have long had a relationship with the river as it is a key customary site for the whānau of Wakatū and traditionally a source of kai and fresh water.

We’ve taken a holistic approach to the area to create the overall plan. The area is an important part of Nelson city. It currently includes the Elma Turner library and Countdown supermarket, but many of the other buildings are dilapidated and earthquake prone.

Our vision is to make a stronger link between the river and the city centre, and help make the Mahitahi river precinct an attractive, vibrant place for people to work and play, shop and stay, while ensuring that environmental issues and sustainability remain front and centre.

The first part of the multi-year and multi-phase project is a new home for Wakatū. Since Wakatū House in Montgomery Square opened in 2008, our organisation and businesses have expanded. We’ve outgrown the current space, with some teams now based in different buildings across Nelson. After considering a number of options, the board

decided on a new building for Wakatū, which means we’ll be able to bring all our teams together. The new building is designed for future expansion if needed and will also kickstart and showcase the redevelopment of the wider precinct for Nelson city.

Many buildings are designed to only last for around 50 years. However, in line with our 500- year intergenerational strategy, Te Pae Tawhiti, our new building is designed in a way to still be around and in use in 200–300 years’ time.

For us, Whenua Ora and sustainability covers many different aspects, including seismic resilience and resilience to sea-level rise. We’re looking at smart ways where we can minimise energy use, waste and emissions, not just in the construction phase but also over the lifecycle of the building. For example, the structure, excluding the foundations, will be built from locally sourced laminated timber. Using wood as our main material adds seismic resilience as well as considerably reducing the carbon footprint of the building.

We see this as a great opportunity to demonstrate leadership in our region for quality long-term building projects. It is being designed so it may go through a number of changes of use during its lifecycle, so it can adapt to changes in terms of how people work and how office spaces are organised.

We’re also putting emphasis on different ways of getting to work, such as biking, walking and shared transport, rather than relying on individual cars for the daily commute. We’ll have charging stations for electric vehicles, as well as providing e-scooters or e-bikes for our team to use for around-town meetings.

We are targeting a Green Star NZ Certified Office Built v3 Rating. Green Star is an independent rating system that assesses a building’s sustainability attributes across a range of criteria. Our new office space will be a showcase for excellence in sustainability. It will hopefully inspire others in the region looking at commercial development to take a long-term view with their building projects as well as encouraging others to lease space within the precinct.

Like the current Wakatū House, we’re ensuring

He kokonga whare e kitea, he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea The corners of a house can be seen but not the corners of the heart

that our identity and tikanga is embedded throughout the building. We are working with multidisciplinary artist Rangi Kipa on the design for the exterior, and the pou whenua at the entrance of the current Wakatū House will be incorporated into the design of the new office. The new building for Wakatū is one of three planned for the site, with resource consent issued for two of the three. We are actively engaging with organisations who have interest in leasing space within the second building. The timing of the wider precinct will be driven by market demand, and will have different zones for retail, accommodation, restaurants and office and education. It’s going to be a real space for the community to enjoy.

Once we have made the shift over to the river, Wakatū House in Montgomery Square will be managed as part of our commercial property portfolio and will generate rental income for us. Wakatū House is one of the best office buildings in Nelson – it is high quality and in a great location. We’ve already been contacted from organisations interested in being tenants here.

By autumn this year we expect to begin preliminary site works before starting construction. As the project progresses, we’ll keep the Wakatū whānau and the community informed about the milestones for the building, and about the precinct as a whole.

We are inviting any business or organisation who is interested in being part of the exciting plans for the precinct, either as a partner or tenant, to make early contact with us to discuss ideas and options. Please email property@wakatu. org to find out more.