Construction is planned to start on the Sleepyhead Estate factory in Ohinewai in early 2023, with occupation mid-2024.
The application to rezone 178 hectares of rural land owned by The Comfort Group at Ohinewai was approved in May by a Hearing Panel appointed by the Waikato District Council.
The Comfort Group is Australasia’s largest bedding and foam manufacturer, and includes the Sleepyhead, SleepMaker and Dunlop Foams brands.
The Sleepyhead Estate is a master-planned development at Ohinewai which comprises a $1.2 billion, 178-hectare manufacturing hub and residential community that would create up to 2,600 jobs in the area and provide up to 1100 new homes, over the next 10 years.
The Comfort Group, which has manufacturing facilities at Avondale and Otahuhu, will consolidate and expand its operations at the new Ohinewai site, which is adjacent to both SH1 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway.
The company will also develop a residential community as part of the development to provide housing for the company’s staff, their families, and other residents.
There will be more residential land than is needed to cater for Sleepyhead’s needs.
Comfort Group director Craig Turner said the rezoning decision was a major milestone.
“We want to create a legacy that will continue to add long term value not only to The Comfort Group but to the part of Waikato District, including Huntly, that we have chosen to make the new corporate home for The Comfort Group after nine decades in Auckland.”
The construction timeline is dependent on earthworks and the compaction of the ground. Waikato Regional Council is considering whether to appeal the rezoning decision, and has until July 12 to appeal the whole decision or part of the decision.