Housing a safe bet for Te Rapa Racecourse redevelopment

Monday, 3 February 2025

Pedestrians pounding pavements will likely replace galloping hooves when Te Rapa Racecourse is redeveloped, experts say.

Waikato Racing wants to create a hub for thoroughbred racing which would combine Te Rapa, Cambridge and Waipā clubs at a purpose built facility at a new address.

This means all three current facilities would be sold, with Te Rapa the star attraction for developers. The consensus is the lush 50 hectares of central city land is prime for a new housing project.

Veteran developer Andrew Yeoman says a block of that size could allow for a whole new neighbourhood.

“It's a really good size and so handy. It's virtually central Hamilton now the way that Hamilton's expanded out all over the place. I think that would be an awesome spot.

“I think you'd be best to put in some good quality medium housing there.”

Yeoman said he’s been interested in the racecourse for some time having had talks with the racing club seven to eight years ago, but he couldn’t sway them then.

“I might go give them a call now.”

He’s been working in Auckland, but this might be the draw-card to return for a Hamilton development.

“You have to be careful not to have things looking all boxy and all the same, samey.

“There's some good developers out there that know what they're doing, and there's also some developers out there that perhaps don’t.”

A large portion of the racecourse boundary is surrounded by retirement homes while the rest is taken up with commercial properties like KiwiRail and Fonterra.

“I think it's a fantastic spot, and awesome for the medium intensity housing there, or retirement units or maybe a combination.”

Yeoman doesn’t feel there’s a need for significant shops due to its location to The Base and other services.

“You might have the odd Four Square type thing in amongst it. You could throw in a few pocket parks here and there.”

Another developer, John Kenel, said the move was a “huge opportunity to create something really valuable for the city”.

“If I were to redevelop the Te Rapa site, I’d focus on creating a master-planned, mixed-use community of high-quality, walkable urban village designed for the way people want to live today.”

He would focus on medium and high-density housing with a mix of town houses, apartments and terraced houses with a focus on quality, green space and community living.

Retail, cafes, restaurants and essential services could be integrated into the development as well as strong transport links and modern office and co working spaces.

“Think about what The Base did for retail in Te Rapa - this could be a more community-driven version of that, blending residential, commercial, and lifestyle elements.”

“Done right, this could be one of the most exciting urban developments in the region. A thriving, self-sustaining community that helps Hamilton grow in a smart, future-focused way.”

Waikato University Professor of Environment Planning Iain White believes the sale and development could be a “win-win” for the racecourse and the city.

Also agreeing it’s a prime spot for housing plus amenities.

“It's a fantastic opportunity for the city to do some real good master planning.

“It feels like it's a huge opportunity to address some of the housing affordability issues in the city.”

He’d like to see a variety of housing especially with the land being close to transport networks, quite well connected to the city, and also the train line.

White believes it will be a highly sought after piece of land or at least “it should be”.

“A lot of sites might come online on the edge of cities, having one in the middle it doesn't happen too frequently.

“It's a really good opportunity for the city to think about what it wants, not just that site, but its surrounding areas.”

White said it’s a chance to plan a lifestyle those in Hamilton are looking for rather than a lot of little houses.

He believes it could quite possibly become a small suburb of its own which means people won’t want to be driving to The Base all the time for services, when it could be sorted in the neighbourhood.

“So it's not just houses that have to be planned.”

“I think just generally this is really positive, and a great opportunity. Let's not waste it.”

It’s expected that the project to get a new racing facility up and running could take eight to 10 years.

Hamilton City Council’s Urban and Spatial planning team leader Dr Juliana Rue Junqueira said Waikato Racing Club Incorporated lodged a Private Plan Change to Hamilton’s District Plan in September 2022 to rezone about 6ha of the Te Rapa Racecourse to allow for housing.

The key changes include: changing the zone from major facilities to medium density residential to allow for a mix of housing.

The Private Plan Change was heard by Independent hearing Commissioners in August 2023.

A decision on the plan change was made on March 4, 2024. She said several appeals had been received on the plan change which are currently being dealt with by the parties with the assistance of the Environment Court.