Plunket has leased the Reserve Land at Wairaka Park since 1996, where they constructed an early childhood learning centre. This reserve land lease is managed by Council. The lease was assigned to Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens in 2019, who ceased operations at this location in mid-2021, leaving the property vacant.
There are several proposed options for the future management and use of the building, with different costs, benefits and outcomes for the community.
Pukerua Bay currently lacks community facilities that do not require at least a short drive and there are no plans to build or provide additional facilities in Pukerua Bay in the current Long-term Plan.
We are looking to engage Pukerua Bay residents in regard to the proposed options for the future of the building. We’d love to hear your thoughts to test if we have the options for the building right and if there are other options that we have not considered, before we commence formal consultation to the wider community on these options. The wider community engagement would include different costs, benefits and outcomes for the community, as this would have an impact on rates for Porirua residents.
Thanks for playing your part and sharing your thoughts with us about the proposed options via the online and paper survey in April 2023. We are taking that information to consider all options before we commence any formal consultation to the wider community later in the year.
Keep an eye out for updates on our website and through Pukerua Bay Residents Association.
Prior to seeking proposals an annual lease fee, lease period, and lease criteria would be outlined. The successful purchaser would then go through a sales and purchase process with Plunket. The successful purchaser would be required to bring the building up to specification, with plans and the final result to be approved by Council officers. A land lease could then be granted to the purchaser under the Reserves Act 1977. The purchaser/tenant would need to be a ‘person, body, voluntary organisation, or society, running the facility as a ‘community building, playcentre, kindergarten, Plunket room’ or similar purpose under section 61(2A) of the Reserves Act, and would not be able to be used for commercial/profit-making purposes, eg a café or hairdresser.
Council would need to provide an indication of the costs to bring it up to a safe, usable specification, including the associated rates impact to the Porirua community for this. Proposals to lease the building would then be sought. Council would prepare a set of criteria for organisations to meet before they lodge a proposal to lease the building.
Similar to option 2, the prospective tenants would need to be a ‘person, body, voluntary organisation, or society’ running the facility as a ‘community building, playcentre, kindergarten, plunket room’ or similar purpose under section 61(2A) of the Reserves Act and would not be able to be used for commercial/profit-making purposes.
Please complete this short online survey here. The communities' feedback from this survey will be used to prepare the wider consultation.
Feedback is open until Wednesday 26 April 2023 and you can share your thoughts with us in the following ways:
