Business South November 2021

8 | Mānia set to make its mark on city T T Richard Loader Zoned heavy industrial, Mānia consists of 42 lots of freehold title that range from 1,750sqm up to 4.5 hectares. The development is positioned adjacent to the new southern motorway,offering ideal connectivity for traffic heading north and south. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Ngāi Tahu Property: Mānia Industrial Subdivision L ocated just off Shands Road, southwest Hornby, Christchurch, Ngāi Tahu Proper - ty’s 40-hectare Mānia Industrial Subdi - vision currently under development offers the perfect home for companies engaged in transport and logistics. Positioned adjacent to the new southern motorway, Mānia offers ideal connectivity for traffic heading north and south, along with the Port of Lyttelton and easy access to the airport for business leaders required to travel. Nestled amongst an already established industrial precinct between the Hornby Quad- rant area and the Waterloo Business Park, Mānia is surrounded by other like-minded businesses. Close proximity to Hornby offers staff employed by businesses at Mānia the ideal amenity for lunches and lunchtime shopping. Zoned heavy industrial, Mānia consists of 42 lots of freehold title that range from 1,750sqm up to 4.5 hectares, a majority of which have already been sold. Dean Christie, Ngāi Tahu National Develop - ment Manager says of the 40 hectares, Ngāi Tahu has retained 17% for its own design and build/lease properties. “Retaining that land for further develop- ment grows the iwi land footprint and grows the investment portfolio. “Of the balance of the land, ninety-five per- cent has already been sold. “Mānia is mainly aimed at the freight and logistics market and in most cases that is who has purchased. Manufacturing and service businesses have taken up some of the smaller lots. “There also are a number of lots that have been sold to private developers/investors for further development with the market. We are very pleased with the uptake.” Dean says the driver for the project was to increase Ngāi Tahu Property’s industrial port - folio and to provide the market with opportu- nities for land ownership. Unlike many other industrial developments, Mānia does not have building ties and the purchasers of the land are free to engage with their preferred build- ing partners to develop their facilities. Previously owned by Heinz Watties, the land had been used for process irrigation for the last fifty years. A two stage development project, the civil construction of Mānia commenced March this year and is due for completion and title March 2022. “Stage two will commence November this year and be completed in the third quarter of 2022. Originally a three stage development, construction has been brought forward for the later stages to meet market demand, with uptake of the development exceeding our original expectations. We believe it’s been tak- en up so quickly partly because it does offer a different type of product to the market. “A lot of the other developments, particular- ly around the city, have either only a leasehold ability or have some building ties.” While Elliot Sinclair was engaged to under- take all engineering design, surveying, geotech and contamination engineering, Rooney Earthmoving was contracted for earthmoving and civil construction. The main design consideration at Mānia was to provide a mixture of lot sizes to meet different market requirements. Given the primary target market is trans- port and logistics operators, getting the correct road widths suitable for big trucking units was also key to the subdivision’s appeal and uptake. Another key consideration was the strategic placement of storm water management areas, utilising areas that were unable to be built on because of the overhead transmission lines. “The other part that is unique to Mānia is the cultural overlay. We engaged with mana whenua to name the subdivision as well as the road names. The landscaping within the de- velopment is more considered and extensive than other industrial areas, which reflects the cultural value and recognition of the land, but also to provide better amenity to the people who work there.” Reflecting on the challenges that the project presented Dean says some land remediation was required to remove historical contami- nants and revalidate the site. “While that was not a particularly difficult issue, it was a time consuming exercise,” he says. “But the delivery of the overall programme has gone very well given that we have had some pretty big rain events in the duration of the first stage, along with a Covid lockdown. “The coordination between Rooney Earthmoving, Elliot Sinclair and Ngāi Tahu Property has gone exceptionally well, which is critical to the success of a project like this. “We’ve done numerous subdivision projects with Elliot Sinclair and we’ve done a similar sized industrial subdivision with Rooneys in Rolleston.” “Mānia is mainly aimed at the freight and logistics market and in most cases that is who has purchased. Manufacturing and service businesses have taken up some of the smaller lots. “ Ngāi Tahu Property has been involved with many high-profile commercial developments throughout Christchurch in recent years.