Strathmill Development Orewa - Action and Info

18/09/2026

🏠 THE OPEN HOME MARATHON 😂🍿

Has anyone else noticed that the Strathmill show homes seem to be open ALL DAY now?

I remember when an open home was normally a civilised little 30–60 minute slot on Saturday or Sunday.

Not at Strathmill apparently.

These days it feels less like an open home and more like extended trading hours. 😂

At this rate they’ll be putting up signs:

OPEN 7 DAYS - WALK INS WELCOME - NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY

You have to admire the commitment though.

It must be hard trying to sell a shed dressed up as a luxury home for $1.125 million.

But don’t worry, apparently it’s not a shed.

It’s 147m² of “sophisticated, low-maintenance living.” ✨

See what they did there?

Small = low maintenance
Close to your neighbour = community living
Tiny outdoor area = private entertaining
$1.125 million = turnkey luxury 😂

And if nobody buys it during the morning open home…

KEEP THE DOORS OPEN!

Try lunchtime.

Try the afternoon.

Try dinner.

At this rate, forget booking a private viewing - just knock, the agent probably lives there now. 😂

Perhaps the next listing headline should just cut to the chase:

“OPEN ALL DAY - PLEASE, SOMEONE BUY THE SHED.” 😂🍿

Because apparently when you can’t make the house more spacious…

you make the open home longer. 😂

11/09/2026

🏘️ STRATHMILL - THE SHEDS THAT KEEP ON GIVING 😂🍿

Another week, another round of listings reminding us that apparently “premium living” is less about how much space you have and more about how creatively you describe the space you don’t.

I’m becoming genuinely impressed by the vocabulary.

Architecturally designed.
Low-maintenance lifestyle.
Master-planned community.
Exceptional living.
Thoughtfully designed.

Translation:

We thoughtfully designed your neighbour to be as close as practically possible. 😂

Want a backyard? That’s very 2019.

Want privacy? Close the curtains.

Want a view? Pick your favourite section of the neighbour’s cladding.

Want some afternoon sun? Check which neighbour currently has it.

Want to entertain outside? Absolutely - just coordinate the guest list with the available square metres. 😂

The fascinating part is that the houses aren’t getting any bigger, the sections aren’t getting any larger and the neighbours certainly aren’t getting any further away…

Yet somehow the adjectives in the advertising keep becoming more spacious.

At this rate, the biggest thing in Strathmill may actually be the marketing vocabulary. 😂

Because when you can’t increase the square metres… increase the adjectives. 😂

04/09/2026

STRATHMILL - AKA “THE SHEDS” 😂

Well, well, well… the needle is finally moving. 📉🍿

It appears the marketing machine may have discovered something rather revolutionary:

People don’t want to overpay for a shed.

After all the talk of premium living, architectural design and exceptional value, we’re now seeing 3-bedroom homes slipping under the $1 million mark.

One is sitting around $899k for 92m².

Another around $885k for 92m².

Progress! 🎉

There is, of course, a small catch…

Want a garage with your shed?

Well now we’re getting fancy. 😂

A 3-bedroom with a garage is sitting around the $910k+ mark, because apparently in Strathmill a garage is moving into the luxury options catalogue.

Then we arrive at the 4-bedroom collection…

Still hovering around $1.1 million+.

One 132m² home at approximately $1.12m, with another asking $1.15m.

So the current Strathmill menu appears to be:

🏠 Small shed: under $1m
🏠🚗 Small shed + garage: pay extra
🏠🏠 Slightly bigger shed: $1.1m+
🌳 Backyard: please stop asking ridiculous questions

And my personal favourite continues to be:

“Price by negotiation.”

There seems to be quite a bit of that happening now. 😂

Funny how quickly premium living starts becoming let’s negotiate when buyers get to decide what something is actually worth.

The sheds haven’t suddenly become bigger.

The neighbours haven’t moved further away.

The sections haven’t grown.

The only thing that appears to be getting a little more spacious…

is the negotiation room. 😂

Perhaps the market is finally delivering its own review of Strathmill:

Nice marketing. Wrong price.

You can dress a shed up with mood lighting, call it architecturally designed, sprinkle premium living through the listing and photograph it at sunset…

but apparently you can’t photoshop a buyer into the contract. 😂🍿

28/08/2026

Well, this little piece of Strathmill history has aged beautifully… 😂🍿

Going back to the original 2023 sales pitch from Myland Partners, apparently Strathmill was going to deliver:

“High quality, more affordable urban designed homes.”

Affordable. There’s a word worth remembering.

Fast forward to today and we’re seeing tiny 98m² three-bedroom homes being marketed around the $1.1–$1.2 million mark.

If that’s the new definition of “affordable housing”, I’d hate to see what expensive housing looks like. 😂

But the really interesting part is how the opposition from existing Orewa residents was portrayed.

Residents weren’t simply saying “NO MORE HOUSES IN OREWA!”

The concern was about density, scale and character.

The original consent was around 210 homes on much larger sections of approximately 400–800m² - something far more consistent with the existing surrounding neighbourhoods.

Then along came the proposal for approximately 467 homes, with sections reportedly as small as 67–165m².

That’s quite an evolution.

Apparently questioning whether more than doubling the number of homes and dramatically shrinking the sections fits the existing community somehow became opposition to “affordable housing.”

Very convenient narrative.

And let’s revisit another gem from the article:

The master planner said the development would ensure “consistency and quality” and create “attractive and varied streetscapes.”

Looking at the development today, I’ll let everyone make up their own mind on that one. 👀

Then we have:

“A place to call home in Orewa.”

Absolutely.

Provided your definition of “home” includes a tiny section, minimal outdoor space, neighbouring houses almost within touching distance and potentially paying seven figures for the privilege.

And remember - this was all justified partly on the basis that young people were struggling to afford their first homes.

So here we are four years later…

98m².
Three bedrooms.
Tiny section.
Around $1.1–$1.2 million.

Problem solved, apparently. 🎉😂

This is exactly why people should keep old advertising material.

Marketing slogans eventually meet reality.

And sometimes the comparison is absolutely priceless.

21/08/2026

The sales machine is certainly working overtime. 🍿🏠

Had a local HBC Kiwi come past for a look at the development and the first reaction was:

“Oh wow… look at all those sheds on the hillside.” 😂

Not exactly “Wow, what beautiful premium homes!” but perhaps that slogan is coming in the next marketing campaign.

There certainly seems to be plenty of activity at the moment. Show homes everywhere, advertising ramping up, and even this page managed 16 views in one day.

And apparently we’re now doing home viewings at 8pm on a Friday night.

8PM.
FRIDAY NIGHT.

That’s commitment! 😂

Nothing says “these homes practically sell themselves” quite like showing someone around a shoebox when most of Orewa is halfway through a bottle of w**e.

Maybe the evening viewing is actually strategic though? 🌙

Less daylight means you don’t notice quite how close the neighbouring house is, and those magnificent views of your neighbour’s cladding probably look much better in the dark. 😂

But it does leave me genuinely wondering:

Are people actually considering buying these places?

Because once you get past the beautifully staged show homes and phrases like “premium living,” “exceptional value,” “better by design” and “welcoming community atmosphere,” you’re still making a very expensive property decision.

Small house.
Small section.
Minimal outdoor space.
Neighbours incredibly close.
And a sizeable mortgage for the privilege.

Maybe there’s a huge market for it and I’m completely missing something.

Or maybe the increasing sales activity, endless marketing and Friday-night viewings are telling their own story.

Either way, I’m still struggling to get past:

“Look at all those sheds on the hillside.”

Once you’ve heard it, you really can’t unsee it. 😂😂

14/08/2026

💡 Maybe Strathmill has been marketed to the wrong demographic this whole time?

Forget “premium family living.”

Looking at some of these little homes, perhaps the brochures should read:

“Welcome to Strathmill - the retirement village without the clubhouse.” 😂

Think about it…

Small, low-maintenance homes ✅
Tiny sections with virtually no gardening ✅
Minimal outdoor space to maintain ✅
Compact living areas perfect for two ✅
Single garage ✅
Lock up and go ✅
Neighbours extremely close by ✅

It actually starts making sense!

For a couple wanting to downsize, who doesn’t want a big garden, doesn’t need loads of living space and wants something easy to maintain, some of these homes could actually be ideal.

And the neighbourly support network is practically built into the site plan. The houses are so close together that if you ever need assistance, forget the emergency alarm, just raise your voice and three neighbours will probably hear you through the kitchen window. 😂

All Strathmill needs now is the community clubhouse.

Put in a lounge, bowls green, weekly bingo, Friday drinks and a courtesy van to Orewa and suddenly the entire development starts making sense.

Because trying to sell tiny sections, limited outdoor areas and compact homes to families as “space, lifestyle and premium living” requires some seriously creative marketing.

As a low-maintenance downsizer village though?

Now we’re talking.

Maybe they didn’t build shoeboxes after all…

They just forgot to build the clubhouse. 😂🏠

11/08/2026

Feels like dèjà vu!
Development approved despite massive opposition. Myland is smiling

07/08/2026

The marketing department deserves a standing ovation… 👏😂

Apparently this is…

“More than new. Better by design.”
“Perfect for summer barbecues, entertaining friends, or simply enjoying a quiet evening outdoors.”
“Offering exceptional value.”
“Modern, stylish and move-in ready.”

Let’s pause there for a second…

Summer BBQs?

On that patio?

Unless your definition of entertaining is two chairs, a side table and asking your mates to take turns standing, we may have different ideas of outdoor living.

The brochure talks about “entertaining friends.” The patio looks like it was designed for entertaining… two reasonably friendly pigeons.

Then there’s the layout.

The photos are beautifully staged (credit where it’s due), but they’re working overtime. Wide-angle lenses can make almost anything feel spacious.

The reality?

A 179m² section, a 98m² home, and windows that seem to offer breathtaking views of… your neighbour’s cladding.

Natural light? Only if the sun can negotiate with the house next door.

And all of this for an asking price of $1.12 million.

Maybe I’m missing something.

When I hear “exceptional value”, I picture space, privacy, a backyard big enough for kids to play, and an outdoor area where you can invite friends over without issuing seating allocations.

Instead, the sales pitch seems to be:

“Premium living is when your neighbour’s outside wall becomes part of your interior design.” 😂

But hey… at least the listing says “better by design.” I suppose if the design brief was “fit as many roofs as possible on one hillside,” then mission accomplished.

31/07/2026

The sales pitch is definitely ramping up… 🍿

Every day there’s another advert.

“Selling below cost!”
“Premium living in Strathmill!”
“Present all offers!”
“Price by negotiation!”

It’s almost as if the marketing department has entered the chat.

But here’s the thing…

Who cares what the price is if you’re buying a home where the biggest view from your lounge is your neighbour’s cladding?

These homes don’t seem to blend into the surrounding area at all. Instead, they look like they’ve been squeezed in wherever another roof could fit. It’s less “master-planned community” and more “how many houses can we fit on this hillside?”

Then there’s the traffic solution.

The sales material talks about a “new connection.”

Do they mean Flavell Road?

Because from what I remember, the original consent for around 210 homes included a direct connection to Grand Drive via the motorway roundabout. Fast forward to a consent for 465 homes, and somehow that connection has disappeared.

Interesting how the number of houses more than doubled, but the direct connection didn’t survive the journey.

So now buyers are being sold a Flavell Road connection as if it’s a major selling point. At peak times, it may well be quicker to head out via Maire Road than sit in another queue wondering where this “effortless living” disappeared to.

The developers have already done their job, they’ve turned the land into a development and sold the sections. Now it’s the builders’ turn to convince buyers that 98m², neighbours within arm’s reach, and a seven-figure mortgage is the new definition of premium living.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned…

When I hear “premium living,” I think of space, privacy, sunlight, a decent backyard, and somewhere to host a BBQ without asking two guests to perch themselves on the fence.

But perhaps that’s yesterday’s definition.

Today’s definition seems to be:

“Luxury is when your neighbour’s outside wall is your favourite view.” 😂

26/07/2026

Petition to stop native bush area adjacent to Alice Eaves in Orewa from being developed into housing complex.

Stop the development of native bushland into housing