Ascot Park

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Overview

Stick a pin in the middle of a map of Porirua and it won't land far from Ascot Park. This is often the suburb of choice for first-home buyers for two very good reasons - its central location means it's close to Porirua's CBD, beaches, the motorway and public transport and its comparatively modest house prices means homeowners can manage the mortgage payments and still have a life. Ascot Park's subdued property prices are primarily because the neighbourhood is traditionally considered to be a part of Porirua East, an area whose image problem persists. However, people forget that it also borders four affluent suburbs (Whitby, Papakowhai, Paremata and Aotea), that its kindergarten and primary school have excellent reputations, and that it is home to the Wellington region's biggest rugby-league club, the Porirua Vikings. As for the curiously wonderful street names like Syntax Place, Sombrero View and Limerick Grove, that's down to the three city councillors who, in 1969, named the new suburb after Royal Ascot Racecourse in England and its roads after famous race horses of the day.

Amenities

Schools

People here wax lyrical about the local primary, Rangikura School. Commended by the Education Review Office for its home-school partnerships, the Years 1-8 school welcomes parental involvement in classroom, sports and cultural activities, invites parents, former students and their pre-schoolers to its "Cup 'o' Tea" chat-and-play group, and runs breakfast and homework clubs. It employs part-time specialist teachers to work with students needing extra help and caters for children who need to be extended with its Gifted Education Centre, one of only two in the Wellington area. The next closest primary school, in neighbouring Whitby, is Year 1-8 Postgate School, which prides itself on high-quality teaching and a welcoming culture known as Postgate Pride. Most high-school students attend Aotea College, where student achievement continues to rise and students regularly make regional and national sports teams.

Shops

The only shop in Ascot Park is a dairy/takeaway. However it's only five minutes drive to Porirua City Centre, with its supermarkets, service stations, mall, megacentre, chain stores and independent shops.

Leisure

The sports ground with the same name as the suburb is home to the Porirua Vikings Rugby League Club, the Wellington region's biggest and the NZ Rugby League's 2011 Club of the Year. The club has 26 junior teams, from five-year-olds up, and five adult teams. A new $1.9 million all-weather artificial turf pitch called the Bernie Wood Turf was officially opened on 8 December 2013. The Turf will be made available to all sporting codes in the Porirua area. It is set up with FIFA and IRB accreditation so it is suitable for football (soccer), rugby union, rugby league and touch. It is hoped international teams will be attracted to use it for events like the Sevens, Football World Cup and league games for pre-tournament training. The park also has wickets for Kilikiti, the popular Samoan spin on cricket, and the nearby BMX bike track is well patronised by local youngsters. Ascot Park's walking tracks have some of the city's best views out over Mana Island and the Marlborough Sounds.

Real Estate

Typical Homes

It's easy to picture burnt orange colour schemes and shag carpets inside these typically 1970s homes with their decorative period features of rounded arches, and textured plaster swirls on exterior walls. Many of the, typically three-bedroom, bungalows (some are split level) were built by the same companies in the 1970s and 1980s, which specialised in economically-priced houses of the day. Clad largely in fibre cement weatherboard, these modest but solid family homes often straddle sloping sections with basement garages and exterior staircases. Some look a little shabby, but most are well-maintained homes with easy-care sections. The homes at Ascot Park's northern end are generally the most sought after and command the best views, while the suburb's 158 state houses are largely found in the small pocket of streets south of the main road, Warspite Ave.

Real Estate Trends

Because long-time residents tend to hold onto their homes here, and others rent long-term, there are never a flood of Ascot Park homes for sale. Those that come up are quickly snapped up for comparatively low prices. There's a shortage of two-bedroom houses, but a basic three-bedroom house on 550-600 square metres is good value for money. Prices start at $210,000 and end in the late $300,000s, but most usually fall at the lower end of a $250,000-350,000 scale. A renovated three-bedroom bungalow with a new bathroom and a sunny deck recently went for $280,000. Very few properties are being done up and sold on here as the margins are too low and it's easy to over-capitalise, but it's a strong market for investors looking to rent out homes at favourable yields.

Community

Who Lives There

There's no typical resident as such, in this transition suburb between wealthier and poorer areas. The multicultural neighbourhood is home largely to Pacific Islanders and Europeans, followed by Maori and immigrants from as far afield as Colombia and Cambodia. Many have had the same address for decades, but increasingly, younger couples with children (or those planning on having them) are buying their first homes here, attracted by the location and value-for-money housing. This is a decidedly middle-class, middle-income area, with most residents earning between $30,000-50,000 per annum and the majority working as administrators and professionals. The suburb's southern tip is home mainly to state-house tenants, but there are now more owner-occupiers here than there are renters.

Local Hero

Ascot Park Kindergarten

This gem of a kindergarten brings together not just the community's pre-schoolers but parents too. As well as the kids' photos on the wall, there are photos of siblings soon to enrol and of parents, who are encouraged to show up and join in whenever they like. Four early-childhood educators with remarkable energy levels oversee engaged, well-behaved pre-schoolers drawing pictures, "painting" on computers, reading books, playing instruments and tackling learning games, all set to high-energy background music. Teachers work with families and community agencies to help children with special learning needs, and the kindie visits Rangikura School each Wednesday in a transition-to-school programme. When children leave, they take with them a "portfolio" of kindie photos and stories as a learning record and a keepsake. The Education Review Office is just as impressed as the parents are.

Why We Live There

Chuck and Sophorn Soung

Originally from Cambodia, Chuck and Sophorn Soung met in New Zealand. They started out renting but, after having kids, wanted to buy their first home. There wasn't a lot in their price range, but in 2003 they snapped up a three-bedroom Ascot Park bungalow with a double garage for $175,000. "It's such good value for money here and handy to everything, particularly the shops," Chuck says. The couple do some event catering, but their day job is running popular coffee cart the Roadside Café outside the Aotea Lagoon. In their downtime, they can often be found watching their teenagers Brenda and Edward playing sports.

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