Porirua Growth Strategy 2048

Our growth strategy informs, guides and influences the distribution of people, activities and spaces within our growing and changing city.

Our growth strategy

The Porirua Growth Strategy 2048 provided growth projections and principles that are driving revised thinking and planning for a number of services Council provides.

There are many moving parts when it comes to planning for growth which involve a lot of agencies, developers and communities. For this reason it’s important we clarify our overall approach, assess our options to finance infrastructure & amenity services and incorporate this approach in the Long-term Plan and Proposed District Plan.

You can also take a look at our implementation plan or at the Wellington Water (2019) Preliminary Three Waters Catchment Plan.

Background

Why do we need a Growth Strategy?

Porirua City is changing quickly and we want to make sure we’re able to influence how it changes and grows so that it’s an even better place to live, work and raise a family in the future.

With the opening of the new Transmission Gully Motorway and link roads, there will be changes to how locals and visitors move around our city, and the opportunities they have to do business. We’re also expecting our population to grow and that people will be looking for a range of affordable housing options. We have to decide where and how the city can grow while also making sure it's liveable and attractive.

Four Phases of Growth
Prior to the Growth Strategy 2048, the most recent framework for city development was adopted in 2008 and we decided that it was time to take another look at how we will change and where we will grow, to make sure the city benefits as much as possible from all that’s happening here.

Porirua has evolved through four phases of growth. In looking forward and planning the kind of city we want to have in the future, it's been important for us to look back and see how Porirua developed in the first place.

Phase 1: Coastal Communities - The first settlements were Papakainga, Pa and whaling settlements such as Takapuwahia, Hongoeka, Pāuatahanui and Mana Island, that relied on water-based transport.

Phase 2: Railway Settlements - Settlements such as Plimmerton, Mana and Pukerua Bay grew up along the Wellington to Manawatu railway line.

Phase 3: Ministry of Works Building - Areas such as Titahi Bay, Earlsdon and Eastern Porirua grew up as a result of city centre reclamation, state housing development, and large-scale land shaping and road building.

Phase 4: Traditional Suburb Development - Areas like Whitby, Papakōwhai, Camborne and Aotea sprung up through private, low density garden-suburb development.

Our City is now entering a new fifth phase:

More housing choices with greater density - We need to regenerate older areas of Porirua, such as Eastern Porirua and the City Centre, while increasing density in more recently developed parts of the city, such as Keneperu Landing.

Your role in helping to shape our city

You have already played an important role in helping to shape our Growth Strategy. Through the Long Term Plan and District Plan processes you told us what your priorities are for our future, and they have helped to shape the key themes that will shape our strategy.

You said:

More compact
Protect the harbour
Make it easier to bike and walk
Resilient
Children and young people matter
Diverse and unique communities
Affordable housing choices
We want to grow

Developing the Growth Strategy

We kicked off conversations in October 2018 which ran through to February 2019.

We worked with stakeholders, community members and partners to test the spatial framework and principles in our draft strategy. We built on the feedback we’d already had through the Long-term Plan, District Plan “Make your Mark” processes, informal feedback, as well as through our Village Planning programmes.

We wanted to test if we actually understood your messages, and that’s what formed the basis of our six growth principles.

You can read our full engagement report.