Fire and Emergency New Zealand wants to build a new fire station on the land, while Nōku Te Ao Charitable Trust has also registered its interest in buying some of the land to develop a new school.
The 39.02ha block at 27 Hunters Rd and 42 Whero Ave is currently being used for grazing, with bush regeneration taking place in three gullies, said city council head of city growth and property Bruce Rendall.
Rendall said the feedback showed the community wanted to be involved in planning for the future of the land and for the gullies to be protected.
"We know the community values the gullies and wants them to be retained, with native trees and walking tracks," Rendall said.
"Council staff think this is a good use for the gullies and this will be reflected in our draft spatial plan, which is under development.”
Staff are also preparing technical reports to support the development of the spatial plan for the site. Consultation on the two proposals opens today.
"Having received proposals for parts of the block, we need to seek community feedback, with a view to making a decision on those sites before the full draft spatial plan is ready," Rendall said.
"I’d like to reassure those who gave us feedback in 2021 that neither the fire station proposal nor the school proposal involves any of the gullies."
The proposed fire station and school will form part of the draft spatial plan. Rendall says the full draft spatial plan will go out for separate consultation when it is completed.
Fenz is eyeing about 0.5ha of the block to move the Diamond Harbour Fire Station.
The Diamond Harbour Volunteer Brigade’s existing station at 89 Marine Drive is a registered earthquake-prone building and must be brought up to the building code or demolished by April 24, 2025.
The section of land FENZ want to build on is across the road and around the bend from the current site, between 90 Marine Drive and 110 Marine Drive.
FENZ District Commander Dave Stackhouse says the proposed new building would meet 100 per cent of the New Building Standard.
"It will be a fit-for-purpose, resilient, future-proof facility, incorporating decontamination facilities, standby generator, PPE locker room and a training room,” Stackhouse said.
"It will meet all statutory, regulatory and organisational requirements, with the growth of Diamond Harbour and surrounding communities in mind."
On average, the brigade attends 100 callouts a year, with 65 per cent being medical events, he says. For this reason, a helipad is included in the proposed development.
"At present, when a helicopter is needed in a medical emergency, it lands on the sports ground or Laurenson Park," Stackhouse says.
"About once a month, the crew needs to assist in setting up a landing zone for the helicopter, so it would be a huge improvement to have a helipad onsite."
A helipad would also be a big advantage when firefighting helicopters are needed, he said.
New school
The city council has also been approached by Nōku Te Ao Charitable Trust with a proposal to buy 8ha of the block.
The trust, acting on behalf of Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, wants to set up a designated character school, Te Pā o Rākaihautū (Te Pā), on the site.
Designated character schools, in this case a Māori medium school, are state schools. Alongside the New Zealand curriculum, they develop their own aims, purposes and objectives and teach values aligning with their philosophy or culture.
Te Pā was established in 2015. It has a temporary campus at the former Linwood Intermediate School site on McLean St, Linwood, and has been looking for a permanent city site for the past 10 years. If the proposal is approved, the school will run over two sites – a city site (yet to be determined) and the Diamond Harbour site.
The school’s website describes a strong focus on restoring culture, connection and identity; reconnecting with places, communities, histories and traditions; igniting a passion for learning; and ‘pushing the reset button on Māori educational achievement’.
Te Pā o Rākaihautū chair Rangimarie Parata Takurua said different learning opportunities would be offered at each site. While many of its students live in the city, she says the school’s whakapapa is rooted on Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula.
"At the core of Te Pā’s philosophy is place-based learning centred around the environment and cultural identity,” she says.
"There are few places more relevant or better suited to this than on Te Pātaka o Rakaihautu, surrounded by our five rūnanga communities at Rāpaki, Koukourarata, Ōnuku, Wairewa and Taumutu.”
Under the proposal, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke would own the land, and lease part or all of it to the Ministry of Education.
Community feedback
Rendall says it’s important to get feedback from the community on the two proposals.
“Feedback we receive from the Diamond Harbour community and residents of the wider Christchurch district will help the the elected council decide whether to support the two proposals,” he says.
People across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula have until 5pm on February 19 to tell the council what they think of the two proposals. Find out more information about the proposals here.
