Wharenui Rise and Brent Farm - A large-scale, iwi-led residential community for Rotorua

Harrison Grierson has been involved in the project since 2018, providing multidisciplinary services across design, consenting, and construction, and continuing to support delivery through to the anticipated completion of physical works in 2030.

A comprehensive approach to large-scale development

Located at Morey Street and Wharenui Road, the Brent Farm block is one of the largest residential developments in the Rotorua district. The project integrates residential neighbourhoods with both formal and informal reserves, stormwater systems, transport infrastructure, and community amenities, ensuring long-term liveability and environmental resilience.

Since project commencement, Harrison Grierson has delivered a wide-ranging scope of services, including:

• Urban design and landscape architecture

• Planning and resource consenting

• Surveying

• Stormwater and earthworks design

• Transportation design

• Civil and structural design and construction monitoring

The project has also included tailored engineering solutions for earth dams, stormwater ponds, a water supply booster pump station, neighbourhood reserves, and full services reticulation.

Responding to change with agility

A defining feature of Wharenui Rise has been its ability to respond quickly to changing market conditions and evolving community needs. As demand shifted and Ngāti Whakaue sought to increase access to affordable housing for iwi members, the subdivision design required rapid amendment.

This was achieved through the incorporation of duplex housing typologies, supported by a highly integrated design response across urban design, landscape, transport, and civil disciplines. Close collaboration with Rotorua Lakes Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council ensured these changes could be implemented efficiently while maintaining planning integrity and residential amenity.

Flexible staging for long-term success

Market uncertainty also influenced how the development was staged. Harrison Grierson worked closely with Council to negotiate flexible staging conditions, enabling Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands to scale delivery in line with demand while providing assurance that each stage would be fully serviced with the necessary infrastructure.

This approach has allowed the client to retain control over timing and investment, while ensuring infrastructure delivery remains robust and compliant.

Delivering through disruption

The project faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the initial 2020 lockdown coinciding with the commencement of Stage One earthworks. Despite delays to the original programme, Stage One (52 lots) was delivered on schedule once works resumed.

Subsequent stages have continued to progress successfully:

• Stage Two (84 lots) completed in March 2023

• Stage Three (75 lots) currently well underway, with titles expected in late 2025 / early 2026

• Stages Four and Five (182 lots) now advancing through design and consenting

Delivery has been carefully balanced alongside other major Ngāti Whakaue projects — including Manawa Gardens — to ensure timeframes and resources are aligned across the wider development programme.

Design quality and long-term value

A key learning from Stage One was the importance of maintaining design control over retaining wall outcomes. Allowing level resolution at the building stage resulted in inconsistent and visually intrusive retaining walls along road frontages.

In response, Stages Two and Three were comprehensively redesigned to include engineered retaining walls and defined building platforms, removing the need for secondary earthworks. While this represented an increased upfront cost, it delivered higher-quality, more saleable sections and ensured a cohesive streetscape — providing long-term value for the client and future residents.

Sustainability, te ao Māori, and community wellbeing

The Wharenui Rise development reflects a strong commitment to sustainability, te ao Māori, and inclusive community outcomes, grounded in partnership with Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands.

The project has incorporated:

• Co-design with iwi to reflect whānau aspirations and Māori values

• Holistic planning that balances housing delivery with open space, ecological systems, and community facilities

• Integration of tikanga Māori and kaitiakitanga principles throughout design and delivery

In recognition of its environmental leadership, the project received the Sustainable Remediation Project Recognition Award at the 2020 Australasian Land and Groundwater Association Industry Excellence Awards, acknowledging the innovative and collaborative approach taken to manage on-site contamination through a containment cell solution.

Collaboration that delivers results

Strong collaboration has underpinned the success of Wharenui Rise. Harrison Grierson has worked closely with Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands and regulatory partners to streamline consenting, resolve complex design challenges, and maintain momentum across a long and evolving programme.

“We’ve had a great design team in Harrison Grierson, and we can’t speak highly enough of how they’ve worked for us. The efficiencies worked out between that team and Council got this first stage across the line in record time.”
— Ray Morrison, General Manager, Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands

Project team

Project Lead: Ross McDowell
Harrison Grierson team: Anna Gardiner, Rob Rimmer, Pathum Kandambi, Nic Schwendler, George Liu