The Spark family and Rossburn
From Scottish settlers to a four-generation Rangiora farming family, the historic Rossburn in North Canterbury is ushering in a new chapter as a community-focused residential development.
For more than 80 years, the Spark family has farmed the land on the eastern edge of Rangiora.
Now, as the town continues to grow around them, the family is embarking on a very different chapter. Work is underway to transform part of its historic farm into a 270-home residential community, farmers’ market and café precinct, designed to retain the character, history and natural beauty of the place the Spark’s have called home for generations.
Rossburn, on 24 hectares of the Spark family farm off Boys Road, officially launched in September, with the first 67 sections in Brookside and Marketside now being released.
For the Spark family, though, the project is about more than houses. Spearheaded by cousins Geoff Spark and Hannah Williams, the family’s intention is to honour the history and guardianship of the land, as well as the natural beauty of the area, which is surrounded by native reserves and wetlands, “This is a chance for people to establish a home immersed in nature, and to be part of a real and vibrant community,” says Geoff. “Rossburn is a rare opportunity for people to be part of a carefully planned community set.”
“We want to retain that sense of openness and connection to nature, something a bit different and unique,” says Hannah.
The challenge, she says, is to make sure the new development honours what came before it. “With the changes happening to the land, we do see it as a big responsibility to produce a quality place to live that honours the generations of our family who have worked this land before us.”
That philosophy is woven through the plans for Rossburn, which sits alongside the Northbrook Stream and encircles the Northbrook Wetlands, with native reserves, walking and cycling connections and views towards Maukatere/Mount Grey.
Geoff says the family’s vision has been to take the natural features, history and family connection to the land and integrate them into the new community. “We’ve got some beautiful features here including the Northbrook Stream and the wetlands, and they need to be enhanced and celebrated,” he says.
That approach is reflected in the plans for the old farm buildings. Rather than demolishing the historic dairy facilities, the family wants to give them a new purpose as a community hub, potentially including a weekend farmers’ market featuring North Canterbury producers, growers and artisans.
Scottish roots
The land was first farmed in 1870 by the Ross family, early settlers from Scotland. The Spark family’s connection began in 1942, when Harold and Margaret Spark bought the first 45 acres. They kept the name Rossburn to honour the land’s history. ‘Ross’ the name of the original family and ‘burn,’ the Scottish word for a stream, referring to the Northbrook Stream.
Their three sons John, Bob, and Richard later farmed the property together with their wives Janet, Margaret, and Dawn. Over 45 years, the couples built the farm from its original 45 acres to about 500 acres.
For the family, that history is not something to be left behind as the paddocks disappear. Family names and stories are being carried into the new neighbourhood, with features including Spark Brothers Park and street names drawn from the farm’s history. Geordie, a Clydesdale, was once used to haul milk cans to the factory, while Lucille, the family’s highest producing cow, will have a street named after her in the new development.
The idea is to create a place that attracts the wider Rangiora community. Hannah remembers the buildings from her childhood, when the farm was still a working playground for a large extended family. “I remember coming down here, and it was just like this big epic monkey bars,” she says, recalling cousins playing in the rafters and jumping into the sawdust below.
Now, the family wants the buildings to become somewhere a new generation can gather. The plans include a café precinct overlooking the Northbrook Stream and towards Maukatere/Mount Grey, a children’s playground and landscaped connections through the development and surrounding reserves.
The Spark family has also donated land towards the proposed Northbrook Trail, a planned 12km walking and cycling connection between Rangiora and Kaiapoi via the Northbrook stream and the Cam River.
For Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon, who spoke at the launch event, the development shows how growth can happen while maintaining a connection to the district’s rural identity.
“A good residential development is much more than just providing houses,” he said. “It’s about creating a place where people can meet, can walk, can cycle, can spend time outdoors, and feel that they belong.” The Mayor said that Rangiora and the wider Waimakariri district have experienced rapid growth since the Sparks first began farming the property. Particularly since the Canterbury earthquakes, and Waimakariri District Council is planning for further population growth over coming decades.
The proposed Rangiora Eastern Link Road is another significant part of the changing landscape. The planned route would run from Spark Lane through to Lineside Road, providing a new north-south connection and helping to ease pressure on existing roads.
The Spark family say the road, which is proposed to begin construction in 2028, is part of the reason the time has come to repurpose the land. In a recent Seven Sharp episode about the farm, 82-year-old Richard Spark reflected on the changes he has witnessed during his lifetime. “There’s no denying times have changed,” he said. “But that’s progress.”
Richard will remain at the family home, while other family members plan to live within the new development. The family is also retaining its connection with the area’s history through the Northbrook Museum, Richard’s collection of local memorabilia and machinery housed nearby. The first earthworks began in winter, followed by sale of the first sections in September.
The Sparks’ ambition is that the next chapter will not erase the old one. Instead, they want the streams, wetlands, buildings, stories and family connections that shaped Rossburn as a farm to become part of what shapes it as a community.
Rossburn: the development at a glance
270 homes, 24 hectares and a new community planned on the Spark family’s historic Rangiora farm.
- 270 homes are planned on the 24-hectare site north of Boys Road.
- The first release, Brookside and Marketside, comprises 67 sections, including 13 waterfront/esplanade sites.
- The development will sit alongside the Northbrook Wetlands and Northbrook Stream (Ō-Tūmatapura), with native reserves, walking and cycling trails and views towards Maukatere/Mount Grey.
- A community hub and weekend farmers’ market are planned for the site’s historic dairy buildings.
- A café precinct, children’s playground and Spark Brothers Park are also proposed.
- A further 30 hectares south of Boys Road has been rezoned for potential residential development, which could eventually provide another 300 homes.
- The proposed Rangiora Eastern Link would run from Spark Lane through to Lineside Road, via Boys Road and Marsh Road.
