History

History of Kamo Home & St Mary's Rise

Welcome to a journey through time, where the rich heritage of the Kamo Home and Retirement Village intertwines with the visionary development of St Mary's Rise in Onerahi.
From the tranquil beginnings of Kamo, a sanctuary for the elderly nestled in serene surroundings, to the modern sophistication of St Mary's Rise, a residential community offering elevated living, these two landmarks represent the past and future of harmonious living.
Explore their stories below and discover how tradition meets innovation in shaping a vibrant future for all.

History of Kamo Home & Village Charitable Trust
Kamo Home had its beginnings in 1969 when a group of prominent Whangarei citizens recognised the evolving residential care needs of Whangarei's elderly. At the time, church based social service organisations were being encouraged, with government subsidies, to develop local aged care facilities, and a fundraising committee was established.
The land at Ford Avenue was purchased, money was raised, and grants from Methodist and Presbyterian churches established. Together with the 50 percent government subsidy, the $274,000 facility opened in 1972, initially with 20 rest home beds and with Shelagh Mason as first matron. Shelagh oversaw the further development of 20 more rest home beds, a 20 bed dementia wing and 24 cottage units before she retired in 1987. Shelagh became a trustee, and later became the first resident of the newly opened 10 unit Tuatara Court apartments in 2007. She officially opened the Shelagh Mason 20 bed hospital wing in 2013, and lived at Kamo Home until her celestial departure in 2017, aged 104. Her son Greg is a current trustee. Kamo Home initially operated under the auspices of Auckland Methodist Mission, but in 1997 was constituted as the independent Kamo Home and Village Charitable Trust (KHVCT). The mission was "In The Spirit of Practical Christianity, We Help People Keep Quality in Their Lives", under which the Trust continues to operate today, with the business focus on quality aged care. Zoe Berry was appointed General Manager in 2011, and in 2013 KHVCT won the Chamber of Commerce Overall Business Excellence Award.
Over the years the original buildings at Ford Avenue have been added to, reconfigured, refurbished, modernised and future proofed, such that there is little further room to develop other than upwards. In 2016, the defunct Mountain View Rest Home at Maungatapere was purchased and re-established as a 19 bed rest home, in 2017 the 25 bed Parahaki Court in Kensington was purchased, and in 2023 the 30 bed Shalom Rest Home was added, making KHVCT the largest provider of residential aged care in Whangarei. In 2019, the old St Mary's Hospital site was purchased as a potential
"greenfields" aged care complex. That proposal had a very challenging feasibility, and was beyond the comfort level of a charitable trust with voluntary trustees. The Trust is determined to make something of the iconic site which had been abandoned for 20 years, and the 18 lot residential subdivision we see today, is the outcome we are proud of.
Members of KHVCT would like to thank the teams at Cato Bolam and Mako Civil Contracting for their contribution to this development. They are delighted with the way the project was managed and completed.

Delivering Premium Sites in Onerahi
Cato Bolam is proud to have partnered with Kamo Home and Village Charitable Trust to deliver a transformative subdivision at the former St Mary's Hospital site in Onerahi. After two decades of being vacant and overgrown with weeds, the land has a new lease of life as 18 high-quality residential lots and a collectively owned 8,300m native bush reserve. Simon Reiher, Professional Registered Surveyor and land development expert of Cato Bolam explains: "Three developers had considered the site over the years, but none were able to find a feasible solution due to the steep terrain and unstable infill. These challenges had previously halted development efforts, but Cato Bolam's multidisciplinary team, with extensive expertise in civil engineering, earthworks, and regulatory frameworks, was able to devise and execute an innovative solution. This approach not only made the development economically viable but also enhanced the environment and delivered premium housing sites for the community." Senior Surveyor and Project Manager Jarred Lloyd emphasised the value of Cato Bolam's collaborative approach: "We developed cost-effective strategies to address complex earthworks and civil infrastructure while maintaining high environmental standards. This included constructing a reinforced earth bund atop a palisade wall, gaining 2.5 meters in height at just 25% of the usual cost, and using the future road as a haul road to achieve a well-compacted subgrade.
We worked closely with Mako Civil, value-engineering solutions as each challenge arose to ensure the best value for our client. Additionally, we strategically positioned sediment control to meet Northland Regional Council consents and carried out comprehensive weed removal, ongoing management, and native species protection." In addition to managing resource consents, project management, engineering, and surveying, Cato Bolam provided building design guidelines to ensure that future homes harmonise with the site's premium location overlooking Whangarei Harbour, maximising views while minimising visual impact. This once challenging site is now a high-quality site for housing that will serve the community for generations.

Mako Civil Contracting
St Mary's site has a rich history and has scared many a developer off over the years.
Kamo Home took on the challenge and Mako Civil Contracting Limited were awarded the head contract for a 19 lot (18 house lots) subdivision. This project consisted of a six-month earthworks component followed by a six-month civil works component to complete the subdivision. St Mary's was challenging site. Mako Civil worked in closely with Cato Bolam in respect of contract management and design to resolve any issues the site presented. The earthworks were carried out during an incredibly wet Northland winter and Mako Civil were one of only a few contractors granted a winter works consent from the Northland Regional Council. You can read their full case study on the St Mary's project and see our progress by clicking on the Mako contracting logo at the bottom of the page.

From the archives, as published in the Northern Advocate, 10 August 2022
Onerahi is set to expand with a new 18-lot subdivision at the old St Mary's Hospital site - a prime property location that has been sitting vacant for more than two decades.
Onerahi residents have been noticing movement on the 1.85ha section at the end of St Marys Place since May and now property owner Kamo Home and Retirement Village Charitable Trust has finally shed light on the mystery.
Chairman John Williamson said it was a "brilliant site for housing" and the trust would lodge its resource consent application this week. "We bought the land in December 2019 with the objective to build retirement care facilities," Williamson said. "We went through an extensive process to determine the feasibility of building an aged care facility." However, the land was too small for a comprehensive aged care facility and yet too big for a specialised care unit.
"We celebrated our 50-year anniversary last year - we're in the business of providing aged care and we expect to grow and meet the needs of the community."
Even though they would have "absolutely preferred" retirement facilities, the charitable trust didn't want to commit to a high-risk development so the group opted for a safer choice.
Should the resource consent be granted, the subdivision would be constructed along a cul-de-sac connecting to St Mary's Place with two shared driveways to access sections.
Of the 18 lots, seven smaller ones are sized from 330-457sqm, eight mid-size lots are between 522sqm and 726sqm, and three larger sections are from 962-1,271sqm.
There will be on-site parking for two vehicles per lot. An 8,300sqm section of bush on the northwestern edge would be collectively owned by everyone in the subdivision. Beautification options are limited due to the site's steep nature but Williamson said it planned to pave some paths through the vegetation and possibly connect a walking path through to Whangärei Heads Rd. Williamson said the design of the subdivision aimed to be user-friendly for the residents and for those providing and maintaining services.

"We also want to make sure the neighbours are happy with everything we do."
To achieve that, the trust organised a community meeting on site last week and answered various queries from residents. The Whangärei District Council's Okara Ward councillor, Nick Connop, said the meeting was positive and drew a crowd of about 30 people. "I think the organisers were surprised by the interest in the development," Connop said. "There was a lot of concern initially but, by the end, people were very happy and grateful with how they [the trust] responded to their questions." Connop said most concerns were around traffic and how the increase of residents would impact the traffic flow coming from and going to Whangärei
Heads. The subdivision is expected to add about 200 vehicle movements a day to Whangärei Heads Rd, which would result in "negligible effects on the existing operation of traffic on the surrounding network during peak times", a traffic assessment report says.
Another talking point was the runoff from the property. The site was prone to flooding and water currently runs off to adjacent properties. Houses located at the bottom of the slope that borders St Mary's have been especially affected by runoff and earth movements. All of this was taken into account in the resource consent application. Connop said the trust was aware the development would have an impact on Onerahi and its residents. "The trust is trying to do the best for themselves and also the community.
Over the two decades since St Mary's Hospital was decommissioned the property has gone through the hands of several owners.
In 2004, plans for a 36-apartment complex with two three-storey buildings and a recreation section were granted resource consent after Environment Court involvement but the consent lapsed and the luxury dwellings were never built. Three years later, the vacant hospital buildings were half destroyed by fire. The ruins were later cleared by a property owner.
When the Kamo trust took over in late 2019, there was only a concrete pad left on site.
"It's been a bit of a mess," Williamson said.
"We want to leave the place better than we've found it."