Harbour-side Haven

Hokianga is “the perfect place to build a prototype of a new type of community to model a more visionary idea of how the world can be” writes Kimberley Paterson for The Seoul Times and two Northland men are in the process of this, “clawing back local pine forests into something special,” and something sustainable. Terry Kennedy, a lifelong farmer and agro-ecologist, and Sean Murrie, an accountant turned boutique brewery owner say pine forests – which for years have provided a strong export income for New Zealand but which are now showing poor returns – are ‘scars on the land’ and there is a much better use for the land. Their mission is a place they call Rangiora (‘heavenly wellbeing’ in Maori), a 120 hectare of coastal development with lifestyle blocks starting around $99,000. Surrounding areas are also due to be turned into pecan forests or mixed use forests of macrocarpa and swamp cyprus that are sustainable and useful for residents. www.rangioralifestyle.co.nz