The application to rezone 178 hectares of rural land owned by The Comfort Group at Ohinewai in North Waikato has today been approved 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. 

Last year, Ambury Properties, the property-owning arm of The Comfort Group, made a submission on the proposed Waikato District plan to rezone the site to accommodate the development of The Sleepyhead Estate.

The Sleepyhead Estate is a unique, 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 1,100 new homes, over the next ten years.

The Comfort Group’s current manufacturing facilities at Avondale and Otahuhu are operating beyond capacity, suffer from significant site and transport restrictions, and are generally no longer fit for purpose. The Comfort Group 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. Other industrial, warehouse, or logistics operators who choose to establish in Ohinewai may also wish to take up some of the residential land.

The project will be a boost for the region, ultimately attracting an estimated $1 billion expenditure into the local district through investment in infrastructure, construction, and development.

Director of The Comfort Group, Craig Turner, acknowledged the significance of the rezoning decision for both the project and the entire Waikato region.

“The decision today marks a major milestone for the project. The vision behind The Sleepyhead Estate is to create a genuine community in a beautiful setting for people who want an affordable, quality home, a stable job and a thriving community they can be part of.

“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 Ohinewai site presents a unique opportunity to bring an existing, proven, and thriving industry to the district, along with the immediate and future associated job opportunities that will drive the economic development of a region strategically situated in The Golden Triangle between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga.”

Over the past 20 months, the project team led by Craig and Graeme Turner has been working through the consultation, rezoning and consenting processes required to begin work on site.

“With a development of this size and scale, it takes considerable time to step through the regulatory process that is required and this, in turn, will be reflected in the project timelines,” said Craig Turner.

“The Comfort Group very much appreciates the detailed and thorough work of the Hearing Panel, and for enabling the complex decisions in relation to the Ohinewai rezoning to be considered in advance of the rest of the district plan.

“I would also like to thank the Waikato community and local organisations who have taken an interest in the project; your support and involvement has been crucial to progress to this stage and will continue to be crucial to the future success of The Sleepyhead Estate. 

“We are working in close collaboration with iwi and mana whenua of Ohinewai through the Tangata Whenua Governance Group, to ensure that their environmental, cultural and spiritual values are appropriately recognised and provided for, and the development is beneficial to all parties,” concluded Mr Turner.

The project has recently received resource consents from the Waikato Regional Council and Waikato District Council for earthworks to prepare the site for the first stage of development (the foam manufacturing facility). These works have begun and will take around five months to complete.

The Minister for the Environment has agreed that resource consent applications to authorise the foam factory and rail siding can be processed under the Government’s Covid-19 fast-track consent process. That process is in train.

Construction is planned to commence on the factory in early 2023, with occupation mid-2024. The timeline is dependent on earthworks and the compaction of the ground.

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Sleepyhead has signed an agreement with Waikato-Tainui to work together on the company’s billion dollar manufacturing and housing project in Ohinewai. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Sleepyhead (The Comfort Group and Ambury Properties) as well as representatives of different arms of Waikato-Tainui, including Nga Muka Development, Waahi Whaanui Trust, Te Riu o Waikato and Waikato-Tainui executive. They gathered on Sleepyhead’s 176-hectare site in Ohinewai yesterday, where kaumatua opened with a karakia and leaders spoke about the project. Company director Craig Turner thanked iwi for welcoming the company on to the land and settlement. ‘‘This is what partnership is all about,’’ he said. ‘‘We see an opportunity for our family business and for the people here to set a new standard of manufacturing in New Zealand.’’ Turner referred to an arrangement that has already started with Tainui’s economic development arm Te Riu o Waikato, where Waikato-Tainui workers from Huntly are getting employed in Sleepyhead’s factory. ‘‘That’s been some of our proudest moments all ready to see the young people coming up from Huntly start working in our factory,’’ Turner said. Te Riu o Waikato chair Tawera Nikau said the job opportunities coming with Sleepyhead’s plan were ‘‘really exciting’’. New housing for Sleepyhead staff was a ‘‘fantastic’’ opportunity for Maori, and will involve many discussions with the company as to how that will take shape. Each arm of Waikato-Tainui that signed the agreement is primarily responsible for different areas: Nga Muka Development focuses on the environment, Waahi Whaanui Trust on social services and Te Riu o Waikato on economic development. Sleepyhead bought 176 hectares of rural land in Ohinewai in August, with a plan to build a 100,000- square-metre factory and 1100-home affordable housing community. The company has said the project will house 3000 residents and create 1500 jobs.

Sleepyhead is proud to win New Zealand’s most trusted Bedding Brand in 2019, for the 5th year in a row.

Graeme and Craig Turner, New Zealand’s legendary bed making brothers will shortly be inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. Founded by the Young Enterprise Trust in 1994, the honour recognises and celebrates past and present business leaders who have significantly contributed to the economic and social development of New Zealand. By capturing the history and story of New Zealand’s business and community leaders, the Trust hopes to encourage young entrepreneurs to aspire and emulate them.

The Turner brothers are owners and directors of The Comfort Group, the company behind iconic bed brand Sleepyhead. The business was started in 1935 by Arthur Mudd, and was subsequently bought by Graeme and Craig’s grandfather Sidney Turner in 1946.

Graeme began working in the plant during school holidays when he was just eight years old before leaving school at 16 to work fulltime for the bed manufacturer. He says, “My whole life has been about the quest to create the perfect bed for everybody, no matter their shape or size. This continues to evolve as we adopt new processes, and introduce new designs, innovations and technology. For me it’s about the endless pursuit of enabling the perfect night’s sleep for our consumers.”

Craig Turner, who joined the company in the early 70s running the financial and management aspects of the business comments, “For us, it’s always been about making quality products onshore. Across our operations in Australia and New Zealand, we employ over 1,200 people, many of who have worked for the company for over 40 years. We respect our staff, offer career development and provide rewards for those who are as passionate about bed making as we are.”

Although the company is now being run on a day-to-day basis by the fourth generation of Turners, Graeme and Craig are both still very much involved in the innovation and growth of the Sleepyhead brand. They can often be found on the plant floor or sharing their expertise and knowledge with colleagues throughout the business.

Commenting on their induction into the NZ Business Hall of Fame, Craig says, “We are honoured and humbled to be recognised by the Young Enterprise Trust, and we’re delighted to be joining such illustrious former Laureates. This is not just about Graeme and I, it’s about the collaborative team who all play a huge part in making Sleepyhead New Zealand’s number one bed maker. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years and we’re still as passionate about manufacturing the best beds as our forefathers were. The future of the industry is exciting and we’re looking forward to the new challenges ahead.”

Graeme and Craig Turner will collect their awards on July 27 at the NZ Business Hall of Fame Gala Dinner at Auckland’s Cordis hotel alongside other 2018 recipients including Bill Buckley, the world’s leading supplier of precision electromagnets, Dame Trelise Cooper renowned fashion designer and business entrepreneur Alan Gibbs.