Category: Houses

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

The award is in recognition of Noa’s dedication to flood recovery work following the catastrophic weather of Auckland Anniversary weekend.

On 27 January, Noa’s day began leisurely as she’d just started a holiday. By evening, however, she was back at work facing a mammoth task: to address the flood damage wrought to 684 state homes in Counties Manukau.

Eight months on, Noa has still not taken her holiday. As Senior Project Manager for the Auckland Flood Recovery Programme, she and her team have worked long days ever since that fateful weekend. Today, they remain utterly focused on supporting customers who are navigating loss and displacement, and reinstating flood-damaged homes.

It’s an attitude that Noa says is in her Sāmoan blood. “Growing up as a Pacific Islander, service is ingrained in you; it’s the first thing you learn in your home. I learned that service doesn’t discriminate, and that service is the most important thing.”

Noa also has insight into how life is for many Kāinga Ora customers. “My parents were state housing customers. They appreciated having a state house but with English as their second language, they struggled to understand what was required at times. I would translate for them.

“I also helped them with admin like banking and insurance. It wasn’t easy for them and that has stayed with me; I am always careful to ensure that the customer understands what is happening.”

While Noa’s work ethic comes naturally to her, it has now been acknowledged as a gold standard in public service.

Noa and her parents, Vaeila and Siolo, flew to Wellington for the Spirit of Service awards where Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and many public service leaders watched her win.

“When my name was announced, I sat there for a good 30 seconds because I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking, ‘How am I going to get up to the stage? There were so many people, it was overwhelming.”

Of course, Noa did make it to the stage where she delivered an eloquent speech attributing her success to the support of her aiga, her colleagues and her church.

“Although the award has my name on it, I see it as an award for all the amazing people contributing to this programme. Whether it was advice or criticism, it all helped.

“In terms of my personal journey with Kāinga Ora, I’ve been very blessed to have leaders who I have aspired to emulate, who have supported me and my journey. And I’m also fortunate to be part of an amazing team, many of whom have the same aspirations as me.”

While the work has been intense, Noa says it has served as an important reminder to be kind, “whether to myself in setting a task list that I can’t finish or to my maintenance partner in there doing the mahi”.

She concedes that the work is humbling. “A couple of days after the flood, when it was safe, I joined the crew visiting our customers and I was devastated by the scale of destruction and grief. I can only imagine how it must have been for the whānau involved. We met family after family who, in the space of one night, had gone from having everything to nothing.

“I remember meeting a family back at their home for the first time a few weeks after they’d escaped the flood.. They were faced with the fact that everything was wrecked. Water was squelching out of the carpet and mould was starting to grow. But all the customer wanted was his church blazers and some tins of corned beef. He’d thrown the tins into the bathtub to stop them floating away and they were still there, safe and sound. No matter what happened, he was determined to provide food for his kids and to keep going to church.”

A number of customers are now back in their fully repaired homes while others are in other Kāinga Ora properties, staying with family or in temporary accommodation while repairs are carried out.

“Joining the public service was the best choice I ever made. I’ve tried to never lose sight of why I joined or why I’m here and I think that so long as you have your ‘why’, and you’re committed to fulfilling that daily, it’s worth it. My advice to anyone considering a career in public service is to do it.”

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

The site was in need of a bit of TLC, with graffiti and illegal dumping causing concern for local residents and affecting the pride Kāinga Ora customers had in their environment. To help address this, the Kāinga Ora Lower Hutt office and local Community Policing team teamed up to organise a community clean-up event to breathe new life into the site.

The maintenance firm Spencer Henshaw got on board with the initiative as well, going above and beyond their routine tasks to assess what work was needed at the address and manage getting everything ticked off. Cleaning company Zap also lent a hand, with around 15 of their team ready to help get the property looking its best.

On the big day, the sun was shining and a massive crew turned up to lend a hand. Kāinga Ora customers got stuck in, with plenty of help from the Kāinga Ora team, Community Policing team, Spencer Henshaw and Zap.

The team trimmed hedges and trees, weeded the gardens, and cleared leaves and rubbish from around the property. Customers were also able to bring down old or broken furniture for removal, and the common areas were water blasted. With a plenty of singing, laughter and kai, there was a really positive feel to the clean-up day – and a fabulous result.

They say it takes a village – and at Randwick Road, the newly refreshed property is a great example of what communities can achieve when they come together.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Build partners and suppliers will co-design the ‘Relational Agreement’ Pilot, which will result in Kāinga Ora taking a more active role in the supply of building materials and how build partners work when undertaking construction projects for the agency.

The co-designed contract model will then be piloted on the construction of more than 100 homes in Rotorua that are scheduled to be delivered  through the new Housing Delivery System recently introduced by Kāinga Ora. 

While exact details of the Relational Agreement Pilot are still to be finalised, the following key principles will apply:

• We are part of a broader ecosystem – Kāinga Ora, build partners and materials suppliers are all working in the same sector and facing similar challenges and opportunities. Our best chance at success comes from working together in partnership.
• Focus on outcomes – Contracts will be more focused on what is intended to be delivered, rather than penalties.
• Transparency – Information on costs, crewing levels and lead times will be shared openly between all parties involved in the build.
• Eliminating risk culture – Through reducing complexity and penalties, we will stem the sector-wide culture of passing on risks in a way that drives up costs and hampers customer-builder-supplier relationships.
• Synergistic partnerships – A commercial agreement that all parties are incentivised and aligned on, to deliver more efficient housing outcomes.

“We are co-designing the Pilot because we want the key players involved in the supply chain of public housing to be aligned and clear on the outcomes, so we can increase productivity and deliver homes more efficiently from the beginning,” says Matt Hulett, General Manager of the Delivery Transformation Group at Kāinga Ora.

“Once embedded, Kāinga Ora will be able to build public housing faster and more cost effectively and the construction industry will have access to a more predictable pipeline of house building work.’’

Mr Hulett says Kāinga Ora will begin in-depth co-design workshops with selected build partners and materials suppliers in October. He says they’ve received positive feedback from the industry during their initial sessions to raise awareness about the pilot.

Construction on the first homes under the pilot will begin in Rotorua before the end of the year.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

This week, we marked the completion of 19 new public homes in the South Auckland suburb of Manurewa.

These homes, all built to Homestar Standard 6, will accommodate around 50 locals who are in urgent need of safe, dry housing.

Manurewa sits in Counties Manukau, a fast-growing region with a population of more than 500,000 – or 11 percent of the population of Aotearoa New Zealand. Currently there are 741 people in Manurewa on the Ministry of Social Development housing register, that is, people not in public housing but who have been assessed as needing to be housed.

Angela Pearce, Regional Director Counties Manukau says, “The opening of the public housing on Dr Pickering Avenue and Friedlander Road signifies new beginnings for 19 individuals or whānau who now have a place to call home.”

Mana whenua welcomed manuhiri, the Kāinga Ora project team and build partners to the new development on Tuesday, which comprises of six one-bedroom apartments, 12 two-bedroom apartments and one four-bedroom house.

“Excitingly, six of the apartments have been built to Kāinga Ora Full Universal Design (FUD) standard meaning they are safe and comfortable for people with various levels of mobility,” Ms Pearce says.

The homes have been built on a 2,422m2 site where three single public homes stood previously. Those houses, built in the early-1960s, were no longer fit for purpose.

Jeffrey Yeh, Project Manager said, “Even with the impacts of COVID-19 and disruptive weather events, we have been able to deliver some wonderful homes alongside our build partners that we are proud of. We know that just one home can have a lifelong impact that spans generations.”

The new homes are within walking distance of schools, parks, and amenities, making them ideal for whānau. People will begin moving into these homes from September.

See what’s happening in the Auckland region.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Allison has lived in her Kāinga Ora property for 32 years. Like a lot of state housing in Hawkes Bay her home is more than 50 years old and like most homes of that age it needed some serious TLC.

“It was cold, often damp and the shower over the bathtub was a problem,” said Allison, after she fell and hit her head. “I used to be sick and at the doctors all the time. I kept getting the flu, I had asthma and bad anxiety. Now I am healthy and happy. If you had asked to take my photo a couple of years ago, I would have refused. Now look at me,” a beaming Allison says.

This house has lots of memories for me. My aunty and uncle lived here in the 70’s and then three days after they moved out, I moved in.

“When my Housing Support Manager Owen said that Kainga Ora wanted to do up my home, I wasn’t keen. My anxiety was out of control, and I didn’t think I would be able to move out while the renovations were being done. Owen kept asking me to consider it. He was very patient. Then one day something just clicked, and I called him and said do it now before I change my mind. Within a month, with lots of support, I had moved temporarily into another place.

I am so glad I did because it has changed my life. My home is warm now it is insulated. The windows are double-glazed, and I have a heat pump. I love my new ‘dream bathroom,” and there is still room for my collection of more than 100 dolls.

“Even though I got to choose the colours of the walls and the carpet, I could not believe how Kāinga Ora had completely transformed my home. I just cried my eyes out when I saw it. They were happy tears. They took the house back to the shell and made everything new; including me.”

We have a retrofit programme to extend the life of our older homes says East North Island Regional Director Naomi (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi). “The aim is to extend the lifespan of our suitable older houses by at least another 50 years. In the last two years, 55 older Hawkes Bay homes have been given a new lease of life and another 22 homes in Napier, Hastings, Flaxmere, and Havelock North are being worked on now.”

“In the next year we plan to retrofit more than 40 Hawkes Bay homes.”

“We support customers whose homes will be upgraded, to move out before the work gets underway. Retrofitting a home takes around four to five months and our customers live in other accommodation during this time. Our intention is always to move them back in when the retrofit work is completed.”

This is exactly what happened with Allison.

The retrofit programme is a win-win for all involved, says Naomi. “Our customers get a healthier, more energy efficient home. This may include full insulation (walls, ceiling, and floor), double glazing, improved airtightness, ventilation, and new heating. We may also upgrade bathrooms and kitchens, convert homes to a more open plan living layout, and make the home more accessible for those with mobility challenges.”

“Retrofitting older homes is a more sustainable option than demolishing and building new when there is no significant benefit to redevelopment. It adds value to the public housing stock, one of the Crown’s largest asset bases and it is supplying a guaranteed stream of work for our local contractors.”

“We currently have two main local companies who are doing most of the work in Hawkes Bay. A third local contractor is working at two sites, and we are looking to bring at least another local business into the project. The quantity of work is providing opportunities for more Hawkes Bay subcontractors and giving our main contractors confidence to recruit more staff.”

Nationally our Retrofit team renewed over 760 homes in the year to 30 June 2023, renovating old, damp and cold houses to provide modern homes for our customers — some of whom have lived in the homes for decades.  

Read more on our retrofit programme.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

The 85-unit apartment development on Lake Road, Northcote replaces 9 older homes, and will also house the local Kāinga Ora area office. These apartments are part of the Northcote Development Large Scale Project (LSP).

As well as 40 one-bedroom homes (including 17 with Full Universal Design), 30 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom homes, the three-block Ngāhuripoke development also contains a playground and office spaces for the delivery of community services.

The name Ngāhuripoke was gifted by iwi Ngāti Pāoa, from the name of a prominent Northcote family. The three ingoa for the individual buildings, Keremeta, Wiripo and Wiki, are all brothers from the last generation of the whānau to live on the whenua in the 1950s.

Speaking at the opening, Kāinga Ora board chair noted that public housing creates housing security for whānau, allowing kids to attend the same school throughout their schooling and letting people put down roots.

“This building is just the physical infrastructure, but the impact that secure housing has on people’s lives is immense.”

More information about Ngāhuripoke

• Three 6-level buildings (Keremeta, Wiripo and Wiki) comprising 40 one-bedroom, 30 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom apartments
• All homes built to 6 Homestar standards
• 17 of the one-bedroom homes have Full Universal Design, making them easily adaptable to a variety of mobility needs
• 5,939 sqm site, replacing 9 homes with 85
• The Kāinga Ora area office will relocate from Takapuna to be onsite
• Other ground-floor office spaces will be able to be used for delivering community services

More information about Northcote Development(external link).

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

The recent Government announcement of changes to the scheme, mean it will be a good option for more of our people to own their first home, says Theo, Kāinga Ora Stakeholder Relationship Manager. “The couple started looking to buy a home when they were expecting their second child. They were in KiwiSaver and were eligible for Kāinga Ora’s First Home Loan and First Home Grant.”

“After getting pre-approval for a small bank loan they started looking for something to buy. They looked at a couple of homes in Gisborne but the only things in their price bracket needed a lot of work. One home they looked at was tiny and cold with holes in the roof. They couldn’t really afford to buy the house, let alone get the holes fixed. This a situation many of our people find themselves in,” says Theo.

“They were living about 25 minutes out of Gisborne.  Down the road they saw a paddock being subdivided and homes transported onto the sections. One home was already taken, but after speaking with the developers they found out that the other one was available.  The house was modern, with 3 bedrooms, a big deck and room for a large vegetable garden. Better still it was close to both of the couple’s marae.”

“After struggling for so long to find some where suitable to bring up their family, they were determined to buy this house. Luckily in Tairāwhiti there are lots of professionals ready to help people navigate their first home purchase.  They looked into what other assistance would be available and found out about the First Home Partner scheme. That’s when I met them,” adds Theo.

“People who want to get into their first home need to start reaching out for information and support. Working with local Kāinga Ora staff, a mortgage broker, real estate agents and a lawyer all helped the couple make their dream a reality.”

First Home Partner is a shared home ownership scheme. It helps bridge the gap for first home buyers whose deposit and home loan aren’t quite enough to purchase a property.  Eligible whānau purchase a home together with Kāinga Ora, to help overcome the deposit barrier. The first home buyer is the majority homeowner and occupier, but Kāinga Ora will own a share in the home that the home buyer will need to buy out over time to achieve full ownership.

Kāinga Ora will contribute a maximum of 25% or $200,000 – whichever is lower – towards a home purchase. Up until recently homes needed to be newly built or purchased off the plan.

For the young Tairāwhiti couple this was the sticking point. The relocated home was placed onto new piles, says Theo. “It had new cladding, wiring, septic tank and plumbing, a new roof, insulation and flooring. It was unlikely to need any maintenance for many years. A great outcome for the young couple.”

As from 14 August 2023, eligible applicants can now purchase existing homes, in addition to new builds, through the scheme and the household income cap has increased from $130,000 to $150,000.

We know many people in Tairāwhiti aspire to own their own home, adds Theo. “I encourage everyone to see if they are eligible for financial assistance through Kāinga Ora home ownership products. Using the First Home Partner scheme made all the difference to this young couple and can for many others.”

Read more about our Home Ownership products.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

We have taken over ownership of the homes on the corner of Gladstone Road and Waverley Street in Richmond, near Nelson, after entering an agreement last year to purchase the homes upon completion.

The new development includes 12 two-bedroom homes and one three-bedroom home. Local iwi this morning blessed the homes before neighbours were invited on a walk-through of the development.

Julia Campbell, Regional Director Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast, says the new homes are a welcome addition for families in need of a home.

She says a mixture of current Kāinga Ora customers and people from the Ministry of Social Development public housing register will live in the homes, with the first residents due to begin moving in early next month. As of June 2023, there were 141 applicants in the Tasman district on the public housing register.

“There’s a growing demand for more housing in Richmond so one of the ways we’re looking to increase the number of homes available for people in need is by purchasing them new from developers,” Ms Campbell says.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming people and families into these homes in the coming weeks as we know that having a warm, dry place to call home can make such a huge difference to people’s lives. We’re also pleased to be able to provide modern homes for people in an ideal location that’s very close to town, shops, schools and other services.”

Ms Campbell says a specialist Kāinga Ora placements team is currently having conversations with the people who will move into these homes.

“Before placing a customer in a Kāinga Ora home, we talk to them about both their housing needs and connections to the community and other groups to help us make a suitable housing match,” she says.

A total of 37 public homes are in the pipeline for the Tasman district until June 2025.

See what’s happening in the Tasman region.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Supporting collaboration between the public and private sectors and mana whenua, the SDP process is a tool that can be used to plan and deliver complex and transformational urban development projects, helping address Aotearoa New Zealand’s housing shortage.

Kāinga Ora General Manager Urban Planning and Design, Katja Lietz, says feedback is being invited as part of the assessment phase of the SDP process.

“In response to the significant housing need in Tauranga and a request by Tauranga City Council, Kāinga Ora selected the Tauranga Western Corridor for assessment as a potential Specified Development Project (SDP) in September 2022.

“Establishing an SDP is a comprehensive and multi-stage process – of which the assessment is the first -which offers a number of opportunities for public input, meaning projects can be shaped by local needs and aspirations.

“Since selecting the Western Corridor for assessment, we’ve worked closely with our SmartGrowth partners, mana whenua, key stakeholders, landowners, and developers, gathering insights to shape the proposed key features.

“Now we are asking for public feedback on the proposed key features – the proposed project area, project objectives and governance body – and this can be done either online or in person.”

SmartGrowth, a partnership including the three partner councils (Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council),central government and tāngata whenua, estimates an additional 43,000 homes are needed in the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region by 2048, and has identified the Western Corridor as a regionally significant location for accommodating some of this growth.

Tauranga City Council requested Kāinga Ora explore the use of the SDP process to help deliver large-scale housing and urban development (including necessary infrastructure improvements) in the proposed project area.

The proposed project area for the SDP includes the Tauriko West and Keenan Road urban growth areas, an extension to Tauriko Business Estate and other potential longer-term growth areas in the Western Corridor.

The proposed key features Kāinga Ora is considering for the potential SDP include the:

• proposed project area, defined by clear geographical boundaries.
• proposed project objectives describing what the project aims to deliver.
• proposed project governance body, being the entity that will oversee the project.

The public is invited to provide feedback, either online or in person, from 31 August to 29 September 2023.

The feedback collected will be considered by Kāinga Ora, including if any changes to the proposed key features are required. A summary of the feedback received will also be provided alongside the final assessment report and recommendation Kāinga Ora must prepare for the Minister of Housing and the Minister of Finance, who will jointly decide if the area should be established as an SDP.

“We appreciate that people may have misconceptions that Kāinga Ora is involved in this process in its role as a developer of public housing but that is not the case. As the government’s urban development authority, we have a mandate to enable homes of all types (public, market and affordable) to be built,” says Ms Lietz.

“SDPs can help to create sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities as they generally seek to incorporate all the facilities needed to make an area liveable, including a range of housing options, public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, recreational facilities, employment, and education.

“We’re early in the SDP process and no decisions have yet been made on whether or not to establish the project as an SDP.

“If an SDP is established, we’ll work with our partners, stakeholders, landowners, and the community to create a development plan, with further opportunities for the public to provide feedback on how housing and urban development should be shaped and delivered in the area.”

Find out more about the proposed key features and provide feedback at https://specified-development-projects-kaingaora.hub.arcgis.com/(external link)

Drop-in session

Where: Tauriko Settlers Hall
When: Saturday 16 September, 12-2pm

Read more about Specified Development Projects   

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Kāinga Ora has signed an agreement with a local developer to purchase 18 brand new two-bedroom homes at 27 Napier Street, Mornington once they are completed. This development also includes a community room for the whānau who will live there.

Regional Director Otago, Southland and South Canterbury, Kerrie Young says the new homes will be used to meet the urgent need for public housing in Dunedin and provide more people with a warm and dry place to call home.

“Dunedin continues to be a priority area for us based on current demand. We are particularly focussed on delivering more new homes in areas of the city that are well connected to amenities, open green spaces and services.

“We’re delighted to have partnered with a local developer on this high quality development. The homes are well suited to modern lifestyles and all come with their own off-street parking.

“Another great feature of this development is a community room which residents and other community services will be able to make use of,” says Ms Young.

Kāinga Ora has also purchased the former Hilltop Funeral Home on Middleton Road, Corstorphine.

The site borders an existing Kāinga Ora home that will be demolished at the same time as the existing buildings on the newly acquired site, so it can be included in the redevelopment.

“We acknowledge the history and the significance this site will have for number of whānau within the community. With this in mind, the site will be blessed prior to any site clearance and preparations getting underway.

“Layout designs are currently being developed with a view to lodge applications for resource and building consents, at which point we’ll be able to provide an update on our plans for the site.

“We are looking forward to delivering new homes on the Napier Street site and plans being confirmed for our Middleton Road development,” Ms Young says.

See what’s happening in the Otago region.