Sleepyhead Estate will re-invigorate the existing community of Ohinewai and nearby township of Huntly by investing in the creation of an industrial hub, quality housing stock, social services and facilities, along with a network of high-quality open spaces. It will be sensitive to the existing natural environment, mana whenua values and help to improve environmental outcomes for the district.
As a place to live, it will provide a viable alternative to city life with the charms of living in a rural setting. It will be a community supported by stable employment with on-site conveniences and retail support from nearby Huntly. It will facilitate economic and social improvements for the surrounding Huntly district and create a mixed-use community that New Zealanders will long to live in.
Conceptually, it will offer land, housing and job packages to those persons looking for new opportunities in the Waikato and provide much-needed jobs for the existing residents of Huntly. Detailed on page 9 of the Masterplan (below), are eight design principles which have informed this Masterplan, and will continue to inform future phases of the project.
Sleepyhead Estate will become a major employer for the region, serving as a lead occupier in the industrial hub for Huntly, improving social and economic outcomes for the district and providing much needed quality, affordable housing.
Complementing the housing and new Comfort Group facility, the project includes factory outlet stores, a service centre and an additional area of light industrial land use. These land uses will create further jobs for the region and reduce the number of residents needing to travel to the larger centres of Hamilton or Auckland for work.
Sleepyhead Estate is well connected - located on the full north and south interchange with State Highway 1. There is the opportunity to re-establish the historic Ohinewai train station and connect to the Hamilton-Auckland commuter rail service which is planned to commence in 2020.
Land is becoming scarce and housing is intentionally proposed at a higher density to help ensure the environmental footprint is minimal and also to ensure homes are affordable. Sleepyhead Estate will include extensive recreational reserves, community facilities, convenience retail and be well connected to nearby Huntly township – to enable residents immediate access to everything required for them to live happy and productive lives.
The Huntly district has long struggled to attract enterprises that provide employment for their population. This project will be a catalyst for the reinvigoration of the district providing stable jobs and quality affordable homes. It will create up to 2600 new jobs and a maximum of 1100 new homes.
“New Zealand has treated Sleepyhead very well over the years – it’s time to give a bit back,” says director Craig Turner. The company’s vision for the new $1 billion business and housing community at Ohinewai, North Waikato, is the way the 84-year-old, family-owned business can say ‘thanks’.
Brothers Graeme and Craig are the third generation of Turners to run Sleepyhead – following on from father Bert, Uncle Roy and Grandfather Sidney, who saw the potential of a business that made natural seed fibre mattresses out of a small factory shed in Auckland 80 years ago. Since then Sleepyhead has consistently led the market in quality and value.
The Turner family’s hands-on ownership through the generations has seen continuity of management and accumulation of expertise that is unrivaled. Today directors Graeme and Craig are regularly on the factory floor monitoring, perfecting and improving the way things are done. Constant investment in research and technology has produced ‘world first’ innovations such as Sensorzone and their commitment to local production has created over 1200 jobs across Australasia. Now one of NZ’s most trusted brands, the majority of Kiwis now sleep on a Sleepyhead bed.
