Havelock North: 171-home subdivision approved in fast-growing area
A 171-home subdivision in an expanding area of Havelock North has been given the green light.
CDL Land NZ now has consent to subdivide an 11-hectare site for housing along Arataki Rd.
It is close to Arataki Honey and the former Te Mata Mushrooms farm, and the development site has largely been used for grazing in recent years.
The subdivision project, called Arataki, went through a fast-track consent process and was approved by an expert consenting panel (rather than a council).
The project is among a handful of major housing projects planned for the northeast corner of Havelock North, which could see about 800 new homes built in the coming years.
CDL Land NZ said it welcomed the approval decision and planned to start work on the development site sometime “during the 2026/27 construction season”, pending any appeals.
CDL Land NZ will subdivide the land in stages, and buyers can purchase residential sections and build homes.
“Bringing 171 new sections to market will bolster home options for people in Hawke’s Bay at a time when well-located, consented land remains constrained,” CDL chief executive Jason Adams said, in a statement released to the NZX.
Adams has been contacted for further comment about the project, including project timeframes.
A Government statement suggested it would take about five years to subdivide the entire property.
A “planted buffer” zone will help separate the new homes from the Arataki Honey business and visitor centre, which is located further along Arataki Rd.
CDL Land NZ is also behind the Iona subdivision, under development on the other side of Havelock North.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the Arataki subdivision was the first fast-track project to be approved in Hawke’s Bay, under the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Act.
Other housing projects have previously been fast-tracked in Hawke’s Bay under different legislation.
“Approval has taken just five months following the commencement of the expert panel,” Bishop said.
“The project is estimated to generate around $78 million in investment and create approximately 629 jobs over the five-year development period during construction.”
A neighbouring property, the former Te Mata Mushrooms farm, has also been successfully referred for fast-track consideration for about 200 new homes. That consent process is in its early stages.
Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd said the Arataki project was “exactly the kind of practical, common‑sense development Hawke’s Bay needs" - delivering homes and local jobs.
The Arataki site was included in the Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy last year, meaning partnering councils consider it to be a good site for future housing.
Other housing projects planned for northeast Havelock North:
- Lansdale Development has plans to subdivide about 200 residential lots. The first stages of that project are well underway, including new roads and dozens of sections completed off Brookvale Rd.
- Greenstone Land plans to subdivide about 60 lots next to Landsdale’s project in future.
- Metlifecare has plans for a new retirement village with 144 single-level retirement villas and a new care home with 20 beds, on both sides of Davidson Rd.
- Vermont Street Partners No.4 Ltd plans to develop about 200 new homes on the former Te Mata Mushrooms site off Brookvale Rd.
- Oderings Nurseries CHCH Ltd has consent to build 35 new homes next to Oderings Garden Centre.