Once your ground works are completed and before moving into the building, there is an expectation that hydro-seeding and landscaping of the yards is completed.
Hydro-seeding and landscaping should be done within one month of completing the ground works and/or finishing outside construction activities. If there is a resource consent attached to your development, this requirement will likely form a condition of your consent.
You also may have problems obtaining your Building Act Code of Compliance before completing your landscaping/hydro-seeding.
Please ensure that hydro-seeding and landscaping occurs on all areas of your yards - the front yard, rear yard, side yards, and any extra-pieces that maybe behind fences and/or adjacent to private driveways/side road etc. This will ensure that sediment from your yards does not erode off your site and end up in the stormwater drains.
It is acknowledged that landscaping/hydroseeding will not work during the dry months between December to March. If yards are left exposed during these months, they will need to be wetted regularly to ensure that they do not cause a dust nuisance to neighbours.
Native vegetation species, that can withstand high winds, are always preferable in Porirua. However deciduous trees have an advantage of letting sunlight through to your property during the winter months. Please think about how high and wide trees grow when at a mature age before planting them, to ensure that they are not simply cut down in a few years when they are considered to be too big. Also check whether the trees fruit poisonous berries (for example the Karaka) and consider whether this will be suitable for your site.
