PRIME SEASIDE COMMUNITY

COAST PAPAMOA BEACH

THIS IS THE STORY ABOUT A HIGHLY DESIRABLE PIECE OF PRIME REAL ESTATE THAT EVERYBODY WANTED BUT MOST AGREED WAS UNOBTAINABLE. IT WAS MAORI LAND. BUT AFTER A GAME OF RUGBY LEAGUE, AND LOTS OF CUPS OF TEA, STEVE SHORT LANDED THE PRIZE ON BEHALF OF FRASERS PAPAMOA LIMITED.

Story: Charles Martin Photography: Craig Robertson

THIS IS A TALE of spotting the main chance, perseverance, overcoming what sometimes seemed insuperable odds and opposition, and sheer hard work. Steve Short turned out to be just the man for the job. He succeeded where at least 28 others had failed and he managed to find a formula that was fair and acceptable to 47 families and 157 individual shareholders, which in turn enabled him to proceed with the development of a new seaside community.

“I had to go to each individual shareholder - and there were 157 of them remember - and try where everyone else had failed to achieve a consensus to purchase the land. The best legal brains had given their expensive opinion that mine was an impossible dream, but I didn’t believe them. Maybe that education at Otepou served me well in the end”, he laughed.

But since purchasing the land on behalf of Frasers Papamoa Limited in mid-December 2004, Steve sometimes feels that was the easy part of the project. There’s a large red clippings file in his Bayfair office which attests to the parade of difficulties and obstacles encountered from a whole host of quarters before he could pass on to his financial backers that he had the green light. The land purchase itself flew in the face of the best legal advice from none other than Bell Gully, an opinion presumably based on the political climate of the time. There were also objections from environmental interest groups (which often turned out to be local property owners on treasure hunts) and the whole resource consent process and City, District Council and Environmental Court approvals. However, despite the tortuous nature of negotiating consents and approvals, eventually he saw light at the end of the tunnel.

This was one of the fastest deals to go through all the protocols of the Maori Land Court, the Resource Management Act, Tauranga and Western Bay Council’s approvals, and hearings for all objections and appeals. It’s been a long haul, but Steve has that look in his eyes that many rugby forwards get close to the end of a tough game - a mix of thankfulness and extreme satisfaction.

“Sometimes it makes me tired just talking about the long, exhaustive process we faced to get the project off the ground, but we got our consents for five of the seven neighbourhoods applied for, and eventually the final two were also approved”, he said. “The earthworks have been completed and we now have a Display Village with 11 finished homes, ready for a public viewing. There was a lot of talking, a bit of give-and-take, some concessions, but eventually we have emerged with a great development as befits a wonderful location - the sort of development that papamoa and the community at large will be proud of.”

“We’ll be marketing a range of about 680 home and land packages of townhouses, apartments and residences. I think people will come to understand that what we are selling is a high quality Frasers Product”.

 

INTERNATIONAL PORTFOLIO

By that he means the sort of property development that meets the very high standards and reflects the vast experience of the parent Company, the international property development company, Frasers Property. According to its chief executive, Dr Stanley Quek: “We are constantly scouring the world for innovative design and technological initiatives to bring to local markets and interpreting new concepts for local conditions. Innovation is the natural outcome of thinking globally for the perfect design solution. We set the bar high, and we work with the world’s best designers, architects and planners to achieve our goals”. Frasers Property is active in the United Kingdom, Singapore, China, Thailand. Vietnam - with some huge and truly spectacular buildings and developments - plus, of course, Australia and New Zealand. Their portfolio is a commentary on the universal scope of the company with its access to the highest calibre of architects, designers, engineers and builders throughout the world. “This picturesque seaside location, Coast Papamoa Beach, fits these criteria perfectly with an unmatched lifestyle of surfing, fishing and beachcombing, easy driving access to main roads, and proximity to shops, schools and recreational areas”, said Steve Short.

 

USEFUL CONTACTS

Although born in the United States, his Mum and Dad brought Steve to New Zealand at the age of six months and they settled in Welcome Bay on the outskirts of Tauranga, where he was schooled at Otepou Primary, one of the very few Pakeha kids at the school. He played rugby for Tauranga Old Boys, is now married and has a daughter and two boys, and coaches the Welcome Bay rugby side. His father worked in Singapore for many years and established some useful contacts. When Steve returned home to New Zealand, after an extended 11 years working in the United States in property brokerage and development, these Asian contacts and his own work experience were major factors in landing him the position of Director of Frasers Papamoa Limited. The rugby league game mentioned in the introduction to this story is also an important part of the jigsaw! Over a couple of beers Steve was invited to play in a local game, and afterwards asked by one of the Maori shareholders to take a look at a green-field site on the Papamoa coast with “lots of potential”. He was the 28th property developer to do so! The rugby league game wasn’t quite so productive. Steve ended up on the losing side with a broken nose. However the other

 

“WE ARE CONSTANTLY SCOURING THE WORLD FOR INNOVATIVE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGICAL
INITIATIVES TO BRING TO LOCAL MARKETS AND INTERPRETING NEW CONCEPTS FOR LOCAL
CONDITIONS. INNOVATION IS THE NATURAL OUTCOME OF THINKING GLOBALLY
FOR THE PERFECT DESIGN SOLUTION. WE SET THE BAR HIGH, AND WE WORK WITH THE
WORLD’S BEST DESIGNERS, ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS”.

contacts he made in that rugby league encounter led to the start of negotiations - with lots and lots of people, and lots and lots of meetings and cups of tea! Rugby and Rugby League remain his passion with age-grade coaching duties taking up his spare time.

 

THE PERFECT SITE

“I don’t give up. I make the best of opportunities. This was a huge opportunity and a challenge”, he said. “It is the perfect green-field site - 1.2 kilometres from Bayfair, right on the boundary with the Mount, a beach frontage and with land stretching right back to the main road to Whakatane, brilliant lifestyle opportunities, and schools and shops handy. It was just begging for a seven to ten year development for about 2,000 people with a boutique shopping area, a recreation lake at one end and the seaside at the other, a mix of land/home packages and freehold homes, townhouses and apartments - mixed density, mixed heights, a pleasant high quality seaside community called ‘Coast’”, he enthused. (Initially it was known as ‘Papamoa Gateway’ but everyone agreed that ‘Coast’ was a name more in keeping with the location and lifestyle).

“We are delivering what we said we would deliver and the City and District Councils, the Environment Court, and the community at large are noting that. I think they are all well pleased. I certainly am. The whole exercise is a great advertisement for Frasers Papamoa and our entire team, and the public will love living there”, he said. “You can now understand that, as an affiliate of this huge international property conglomerate with all their experience, expertise and resources, we are very soundly based and financially under-written to proceed with this $600 million development with the utmost confidence”. The development is financed with offshore funds and not relying on local funds”, he said.

 

UNIQUE DESIGNS

Frasers Property are both developer and builder so Coast is unique compared with most other large scale developments where sections are sold to building companies. At Coast however, private individuals are encouraged to build what they like.

“For the first stage, our company has hand-picked and retained four top architects including two from Bay of Plenty - David Page of Page Henderson Architecture and Jorgen Fransden of Ambienti - to create unique designs for the homes, townhouses and apartments. Sunlight and privacy have been important considerations with each design”, Steve said. A tour of the showhomes highlights just how well this has been delivered. The solid stone front fences set the scene for the neighbourhood and one is greeted by water features at the front of the homes, something not commonly seen in New Zealand, but very popular overseas. It is obvious that topline architects have been involved. The houses are all very different but have just the right proportions, great layouts, with individual detailing.

Local interior designer Sally Lines was commissioned to help with colour schemes, fitouts and furnishings for each home. “The thing that impressed me from the start was that Frasers wanted to ‘raise the bar’ in the residential property market. Many developers have promised the world for large scale developments but come up short. Frasers have delivered on their promises and that makes for exciting prospects for new home buyers” she said. Frasers Papamoa have engaged as many local contractors and suppliers as possible to show their support for the local business community. In a building slow-down, this has to be good news for Tauranga.

Against all odds Steve Short has achieved his dream and the first homes at the display village at ‘Coast’ have been built. The idea which took form following a rugby league game in 2002, started to become a reality with the purchase of the block of Maori land two years later, then evolved into the beginnings of a comprehensively planned $600 million seaside community after another four years of hearings, appeals and at last consents. Coast Papamoa Beach is a seaside community to rival anything in New Zealand. The combination of a great location, international property development expertise, and assembling the best architectural and interior design talent has already set the scene for what is to come.

The first neighbourhood - Sands - with 86 homes will be officially launched to the public on Labour Weekend, but pre launch guided tours can be arranged now.

 

FAST FACTS
COAST PAPAMOA BEACH

• Located on the boundary of Papamoa and Mount Maunganui, this 27 hectare development spans an area from the beachfront through to State Highway 2
• The Coast development includes seven neighbourhoods incorporating 682 architecturally designed beachside homes, townhouses and apartments
• First neighbourhood release on Labour weekend includes 86 homes
• Quality landscaping including formal street tree planting, cluster tree and shrub plantings, together with a recreation park and lake
• Four corner shops/café
• Centrally located and sited 3.5 km from Papamoa Village, 8 km from Mount Maunganui, and 10km from central Tauranga
• Ten year project with an estimated development cost of $600 million
• Developed in partnership with the world renowned Fraser Neave Group

 

COAST PAPAMOA BEACH - Frasers Papamoa Limited, 18 Girven Road, Mount Maunganui.
P O Box 15107, Tauranga 3030. p. 07 575 9768 www.coastpapamoabeach.co.nz