HEAD: Stonefields transformed

SUBHEAD: How a depleted quarry became one of Aucklands fastest growing

communities
STORY:
Stonefields in Mt Wellington is soaked in history. Originally formed from volcanic
activity, which made it a rich source of rocks, the site shows evidence of Maori
settlement dating back 600 years.
A fortified village eisted at the base of Mt Wellington, with the summit acting as a
fortress. !he hill "a was ty"ically enclosed at the base by a stone wall, and beyond lay
large huts and food "its. !he chief#s hut and food "lantation were called stone fields $
%ew &ealand#s first garden.
'n ()*6 Winstones +imited established the +unn Avenue ,uarry, which com"rised
--0 acres and em"loyed (-0 "eo"le. .rom the time the /uarry began o"erating some
(0 million cubic metres of rock were ecavated.
!he bluestone /uarried from this site has "rovided much of the basalt used as a
building material for the Auckland region. !his stone was used to build what are now
some of Auckland#s historic buildings, including the Auckland !own 1all, St
Andrew#s 2resbyterian 3hurch in Symonds Street, the Melanesian Mission at Mission
4ay and even some of the ste"s u" to the One !ree 1ill monument.
!he single largest contract for concrete aggregate was (60,000m* which was su""lied
to the Auckland Air"ort for the construction of the runway in ()6*.
'n -00( $ 65 years after it o"ened $ Winstones ,uarry ran out of rocks to dig u", and
was "urchased by +andco +imited 6!odd 2ro"erty 7rou"#s former name8 and the
master "lanning "rocess for the Stonefields develo"ment commenced, culminating in
its re9oning to mostly residential use in -00:.
,uarrying has left an im"ressive stone cliff along the western edge of the site,
"roviding a magnificent backdro" for the lakes and recreational reserve areas of the
new community $ a key focal "oint of Stonefields.
;We#re "roud of the outcome that we have achieved at Stonefields,< =van >avies,
Managing >irector, !odd 2ro"erty, told .airfa Media via email. ;We#ve taken great
care using an etensive master?"lanning "rocess to balance the need for new high?
/uality housing with the desire to "rotect and enhance the natural features of the
surrounding environment.<
!he location of Stonefields is hugely a""ealing. 't is @ust 0 km from Auckland#s 34>
and close to the eastern bay beaches. 't is also within close "roimity to local
attractions like the MaungareiAMt Wellington >omain, Waiatarua Beserve and
wetlands, and the Cniversity of Auckland !amaki cam"us.
As well as high /uality housing, "eo"le are attracted to Stonefields because of its
close?knit and friendly community, the relaed lifestyle which includes etensive
wetlands, "laygrounds and "arks. Besidents value actually knowing their neighbours
and being able to walk the children five minutes to school or to the "ark, or to the
local sho"s.
;Our second and third new a"artment com"lees, Altera and ilico are under
constuction,< Mr >avies said. ;Additionally, in various locations across the
develo"ment .letcher +iving is busy building a range of two, three and four bedroom
terraced homes.<
According to Mr >avies, several more a"artment com"lees and terraced home
develo"ments are on the drawing board for !odd 2ro"erty, as the Master 2lan for
Stonefields is develo"ed through to its conclusion over the net five to (0 years.
;.urther growth over time in the wider area may be "ossible as neighbours like
3ouncil and Auckland Cniversity look to rationalise sur"lus land holdings,< he said.
!odd 2ro"erty 7rou" is the master develo"er of the Stonefields site. >uring the
course of develo"ment it has worked closely with .letcher +iving as a building
"artner, but also with other "rominent builders such as Dalcon 1omes and Signature
1omes.