Paetutu Petone. 

Paetutu Petone created 56 2-storey terraced homes and was developed in partnership with Taranaki Whānui. 

The relatively flat site overlooks the golf course and river corridor and was historically an island and the location of Paetutu Kainga. The land was made available through the treaty settlement in 2008, and later sold to The Wellington Company for development. The homes were first offered to iwi prior to being marketed publicly.

Built with honest, premium materials – these two-storied homes showcase the best in intelligent design, high quality construction and beautifully appointed interiors.  Ian  comments that "It came together quite quickly, the construction period was less than 18 months, there was quite a bit of consultation with the community and the Lower Hutt Council and a huge amount of excitement on the opening day because it is such a wonderful new type of development."

"This is just a very good pattern of occupation of land, it's living close together and very efficient. It's very gentle on infrastructure and energy, so it's the modern answer to a world that's got a lot of questions about sustainability and energy use." Watch Ian's interview on Paetutu Petone

In July 2020 Colab Architecture was awarded a NZIA Wellington Architecture Award for this development. The project was also a 2021 finalist in the Toitanga Best Awards. Images below are courtesy of Stephen Goodenough.