Located just 3.8km from Orewa and overlooking the Orewa Estuary, Queens Homes’ masterplanned development at 120 Kowhai Road transforms a 5.95ha greenfield site into a thoughtfully designed residential neighbourhood. Surrounded by established and fast-growing suburbs like Millwater and Milldale, the development delivers 66 residential lots and two superlots, within a high-amenity, ecologically enhanced setting.

Cato Bolam were lead consultants, managing the entire project from planning, surveying and engineering through to ecological assessment and offset delivery. Key features include diverse lot sizes with strong urban design controls, an esplanade reserve and public walkway linking to the Orewa River, and a significant landscaping plan using native and exotic vegetation to strengthen neighbourhood character and biodiversity.

“This development strikes the right balance between good urban design and environmental stewardship. From diverse lot sizes and high-quality landscaping to new public connections along the Orewa River, it’s a great example of how well-planned growth can enhance the surrounding community.” – Debbie Tilley, Principal Planner, Cato Bolam.

A standout achievement was the environmental offset programme: with the development requiring works across three low-quality gully areas for stability works, Cato Bolam led an exhaustive search to identify and deliver an offset mitigation site. Successful key stakeholder engagement and landowner agreement has enabled 1.2ha of indigenous planting and major riparian restoration, improving water quality, stream connectivity, and ecological resilience on another property — a rare and complex accomplishment by our expert ecology team.

Thanks to Cato Bolam’s multidisciplinary leadership and problem-solving, Queens Homes was able to achieve a high-yield outcome on a physically challenging site, without compromising design quality, amenity or ecological integrity.

“Designing for the site’s topography called for innovative solutions and close collaboration across our multi-disciplinary team. Our integrated approach enabled us to deliver stable, accessible building platforms while upholding strong urban design standards and achieving significant ecological outcomes.” – Scott Lamason, Engineering Manager, Cato Bolam.

The result is a development that enhances the landscape, supports the local community, and sets a benchmark for integrated urban planning in the Orewa area.