Ref:000061
11 October 2024
Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents' Society Inc
[FYI request #28168 email] Dear Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents' Society Inc
OFFICIAL INFORMATION REQUEST
I refer to your official information request dated 24 August 2024 for questions relating to meetings in
2020.
Question 1. Please provide details of who Nicholas Chan is to the council and provide the financial
modelling that was utilised.
Nicholas Chan, Principal of MEQ Property Ltd was engaged by Council along with Sean Bignell,
Director, MEQ Property Ltd as Specialist Development and Marketing Advisors. MEQ Property Ltd
provided a Draft Business Case on Housing Options for Ruapehu.
provide the financial modelling that was utilised.
We have decided to withhold requested information under section 7(2)(c)(i) protect information which
is subject to an obligation of confidence and would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar
information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information
should continue to be supplied.
Question 2: Please confirm the date this document was established with the $7,780,000 figure
CIP application submitted to Crown Infrastructure Partners 14 April 2020.
Question 3: Please provide the supporting documentation that provided the modelling to reach the
value of $7,780,000 MEQ Property Ltd requested a range of information (inputs) from Council to assist it in its Business
Case development and the CIP application. Attached is a pdf email that identifies that information
input from council officers. Also attached is other supporting documentation as follows:
• Market Rental Report 2019
• Social Housing Survey Data
Page 2
Please also see Report to Council 5 August 2020,
20230927 Council Public Agenda
APPROVED.pdf (ruapehudc.govt.nz) that provides in Appendix A Updated Project management and
Cost assessment for the CIP Capital Grant of $7.78M Copy of Council report attached.
Question 4: Please advise how many residential lots the $7,780,000 figure was to support, i.e. at 50
lots that would account for $155,600 per lot or $178,940 incl GST.
The original CIP application included an application for a CIP Capital Grant of $7.78M and an
application for a CIP Construction Underwrite of $15.49M over 5 study sites. This was for both
reconfiguration and redevelopment and to stimulate a rolling programme. The 8 April 2020
Supplementary Report to Council
, Council minutes - Public (ruapehudc.govt.nz) identified a potential
of 49-57 units based on Option 1. Further work on a business case was ongoing as identified in the
subsequent Report to Council on 29 April 2020
20200429 Council Release of Report into Public
Business_Redacted.pdf (ruapehudc.govt.nz). that report noted:
“3.4 The social and affordable CIP application does not commit the Council to a particular option
at this stage and there is flexibility to amend details as the draft business case is further
developed. The draft business case however was necessary to demonstrate there is a robust
case for moving forward with the project and to help determine the level of assistance being
sought from CIP. “
The Report to Council 5 August 2020
20200805 Council Release of Report into Public Business.pdf
(ruapehudc.govt.nz) included the following:
“1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s endorsement to mobilise the Crown
Infrastructure Partners (CIP) Grant of $7.78 million (excl. of GST), in stages and with milestones
based on both a “shovel ready” project and a wider investigation of opportunities across the
district. This is a time critical imperative in order to meet the proposed Grant terms and conditions
within the scope of the quick start Social and Affordable (key worker) Housing programme.”
The same report (5 August 2020- Appendix B to that report) also included reference to 5 Study
sites and a potential of 74 Household units.
Question 5: Teitei Drive was apparently not a considered site at the time of the Sep 2020 Zoom
meeting; Please provide the financial modelling for Teitei Drive that was used to support CIP funding
requests and the supporting documentation
We have decided to withhold requested information under section 7(2)(c)(i) protect information which
is subject to an obligation of confidence and would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar
information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information
should continue to be supplied.
Council has reviewed its initial response to questions 6(a),(b),(c) and 7 as per earlier response dated
27 September 2024 and provides the following response:
Question 6: (a) When was it decided, (b) who decided,
Do not fit the criteria of an OIA request.
6(c) what documents reflect: the change from this model to gifting the land or selling the land at cost
(for servicing), to Kāinga Ora.
The 27 September 2023 public Report to Council on Tei Tei Drive Housing Development notes at
paragraph 5.27 as follows:
Page 3
“5.27 the negotiations to develop Teitei Drive were ongoing through 2021, 2022 and 2023. While
an intention to sell the Council land at Teitei Drive to Kāinga Ora was formulated in principle in
2021 it was not formalised by signature of a Sale and Development Agreement until 4 April 2023.”
Seconds later Ree Anderson confirmed this, and mentioned there was a go- and no-go scenario for
this to work.
Question 7: When did this scenario become a no go (as Red put it) and please provide documents
to support.
The ATMS adopted by Council in November 2020 (has a policy Section 1.7) as follows:
“1.7 Set financial metrics which act as development ‘go/no-go’ decision points for Council.
Opportunities for new supply constructed on RDC owned land, to support new affordable (key
worker) housing, then opportunities will be considered on merit and the following triggers for
investigating the viability of supply, include but are not limited to as:
• Offer to purchase as serviced land and agreed housing outcomes to enable
construction for new affordable housing are met.
• Offer to purchase as serviced land and completed new affordable housing.
• Offer of a head lease over serviced land and completed housing as part of a mixed
public / private housing development site.
• Offer to purchase completed home on leasehold land retained by RDC, Iwi or another
provider.”
• Other as merited.
All will be considered as potential go/no-go.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Clive Manley
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
cm:mf
Attachments:
Pdf Email Information inputs form council for Business Case
Market Rental Report 2019
Social Housing Survey data
