Category: Housing Sector

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

“What’s not to love?” Tony asks as he admires the green outlook of the nearby park. “I feel blessed to be here. My home, the park, being surrounded by nature – it’s bliss,” he says.

It’s the first Monday of the month, which means Tony is taking a short stroll from his home to the onsite community room for a regular committee meeting.

Tony is one of five Kāinga Ora customers, who put their hand up to help manage and run what is Northland’s first community room at a Kāinga Ora development.

Gifted the name ‘Taparoto’ by local hapu, the room is used for everything from baby showers, to birthday parties, community meetings and after school care.

“If you’d have told me a year ago, I’d be sitting here, looking out to this park and being a member of this committee, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he says.

Tony and the other committee members hold practical responsibilities for the room such as scheduling bookings, checking the room is left clean and tidy, restocking essentials, and ensuring keys are returned. They have also established a set of practical rules for use of the room, which everyone follows and respects.

In a show of true community spirit, Tony and his fellow committee members have also run a successful community-wide ‘meet your neighbours’ day. The event, which was loved by all who attended, included a bouncy castle, face painting, a bbq and games enjoyed by the kids and parents alike. 

“Having Taparoto and events like the neighbour’s day, means we’ve gotten to know each other really well. Before I just had neighbours, now, for the first time I feel like I’m part of a community,” says Tony.

“Just knowing each other’s names, talking to your neighbours, having the kids scooter past and say hi or stop to pat Keeber, it all builds trust,” he says.

Prior to becoming a Kāinga Ora customer, Tony and Keeber were stuck in unsuitable accommodation, which was starting to have serious health impacts.

“I didn’t realise how bad it was at first, but I just started feeling worse and worse. Physically and mentally – everything just started going downhill. I couldn’t think, I was hardly living.”

But hope came in the form of a phone call. A call from Kāinga Ora, offering Tony a warm, dry, brand-new home.

“A home is everything, trust me. It can change everything,” he says.

“My health started improving from the day I moved in and now I can think clearly again. I have the motivation to be part of each day.”

Zephyr Marshall, Northland’s Community Development Manager at Kāinga Ora, has been part of Taparoto since its inception and still attends every committee meeting in a support role.

The committee will often look to her for guidance which she is happy to give, but she’s also quick to remind them that community room decisions are theirs to make.

“From meeting to meeting I see their confidence grow. Being part of a committee is a real commitment and it’s been a pleasure to see their hard work turn into successful events that empower and improve this community,” she says.

“For me the success of the neighbour’s day demonstrated how a seemingly simple room, can be so much more. It can provide room to reflect, grow and come together.”

As this month’s committee meeting wraps up, Tony reflects on being in his home for close to a year.

“Living here and having access to Taparoto and the beautiful park where I walk Keeber – I feel cared for, and that has given me a sense of peace,” he says.

“For me, the honeymoon phase is over, and that’s a real good thing. Now I can do what I wanted to do all along, start living.”  

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Students studying joinery at the Western Institute of Technology Taranaki (WITT) have built the planter boxes and, complete with soil and seedlings, some have now been delivered by the Bishop’s Action Foundation (BAF) to Kāinga Ora customers in the region. 
 
To keep the vegetables and whānau thriving, Sustainable Taranaki (through the Marfell Community Garden) will provide advice and guidance on caring for the plants.  
 
Daniel Fuemana, Director of Trade Training, Primary and Creative Industries at WITT, says building the planter boxes teaches the Year 11, 12 and 13 students various joinery skills. 
 
“Providing meaningful mahi will really bring the learning alive for these joinery ākonga (students) and they take great pride in knowing the planter boxes will be used to help community members,” says Daniel. 
 
Maya Harrison and Misha Hoskin, Year 12 students from New Plymouth Girls’ High School, say the planter box project has been rewarding, especially knowing the boxes will be used in the community for people to grow food. Both have been doing woodwork at school and have enjoyed the opportunity through WITT’s Secondary Tertiary Pathway to develop their skills by using a wide range of hand, power, and fixed tools in the carpentry workshop on campus.  
 
The planter box initiative grew out of the need to increase food resiliency in the community, says Mieke Verschoor, workshop coordinator and facilitator at Sustainable Taranaki. 
 
“Many people have realised through the COVID lockdowns and supermarket food shortages how important it is to grow their own kai. It helps them be self-reliant and share what they don’t need with whānau, friends and neighbours. In addition, we also know that gardening and growing food is important for someone’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.” 
 
BAF Chief Executive Officer Simon Cayley agrees that kai is an important connector, allowing people to share with neighbours and engage in community initiatives like crop swaps and community gardens. 
 
“Food grown in the planter boxes can be harvested and enjoyed in a nutritious shared meal with friends, family, and neighbours that they can feel proud of. By learning to grow their own food, Kāinga Ora customers will be able to share their knowledge with family and friends, passing on their learnings to the next generation.”

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

And connecting people is precisely what Anna likes to do, so it is unsurprising that her family calls her a “people collector”.

The list of Anna’s community initiatives is long: from running Facebook groups, including the ‘Palmerston North Women’s Social Group’, ‘Friends of Savage Park’ and ‘Savage Community Group’ to organising events in the reserve and establishing a community garden.

One of the events Anna looks back on with pride is the open-air cinema she organised in the reserve a few months ago. “A massive number of people turned up and everyone had a great time,” she says.

Having experienced housing transformation overseas, Anna understands the importance of communities getting to know each other as cities change.

“When I lived in London, the city went through a transition where original homes were being replaced with skyscrapers. There are positives to this style of living, but it can also become isolating without the usual foot traffic and interactions with neighbours,” says Anna.

“I remember one woman decided to build a community centre, and the benefits of getting locals to come along, get to know each other and build community connections were really incredible.

“That’s what I aspire to do for others. I like it when I find out that one person has connected with another person in the community and that this made a difference in their lives. Because that is how I think these things spread and ripple out.”

Alongside good planning, it takes people like Anna to help build sustainable, thriving, and inclusive communities. In her work, Anna aims to not only bring people together but also to support the environment.

“Luckily, my backyard is close to the reserve, so I contacted Environmental Network Manawatū, who helped me turn it into a community garden. We’ve got quite a few winter veggies ready for harvest for the community already.”

Anna’s backyard turned community garden is also a collection point for the community’s household food waste as part of a new Community Composting initiative by Manawatū Food Action Network.

Anna has hundreds of other plans for the future, big and small, but it’s the community that has her heart.

“People in the community often ask me why I do the community work. It‘s because I am absolutely enjoying it, and I am sure I would be bored otherwise!” Anna says.

“The busier the reserve gets, the better. We know people are enthusiastic about having events there and I’m currently exploring opportunities to organise a local market. There are so many opportunities for the community to connect!”

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Te Kauwhata College students are placing the building blocks for their futures as they explore how a construction career could work for them.

Eleven rangatahi, aged 16-18, have just completed the first part of Future Squad – a three-day workshop with career panels, site visits, projects and expert guidance from consultants, build partners and urban development, planning and design professionals.

And for some of those students, those three days are just the beginning.

“Part of our workshops included a really important step for anyone entering the workforce – real-life job interviews,” says Nigel Chandra, Construction Plus Manager.

“Two of our build partners – Finesse Residential(external link) and DEN Property(external link) – are providing opportunities for some of these students to gain on-site work experience at their developments currently under way in Lakeside.”

And, like any new job, it all starts with an interview. From there, students will spend one day on site each week, for up to six weeks.

“We’re really grateful to Finesse and DEN,” says Nigel. “They’re giving some of these students a chance to explore their interest in construction and develop really important skills that’ll help them reach their career goals.”

Led by Nigel, Future Squad is part of the Kāinga Ora Construction Plus programme, which connects people living in communities undergoing urban development with industry training and employment opportunities.

“The pathways created by Future Squad are only possible because of the efforts of so many different people and groups involved,” says Nigel.

“Along with our build partners, members across the various Kāinga Ora teams are all pitching in to give these students a really good look at what’s involved in urban development and construction.

“The Get Group are also helping students turn their work experience into tangible results – some of them have the potential to earn 21 NCEA Level 3 credits for completing Future Squad. Of course, it’s also important to say that none of this would be possible without the support and work from the team at Te Kauwhata College.”

Natalie Langman, Gateway Coordinator at Te Kauwhata College, says students “really enjoyed the course” and a chance to better understand how housing and urban development sector operates.

“These courses give students amazing opportunities to explore more of what is available out there,” she says.

“With Te Kauwhata being a small town, halfway between Auckland and Hamilton, having Lakeside Development here has given us and our students heaps of opportunities.

“It’s meant being able to get work experience in the construction industry that we wouldn’t have been able gain otherwise.” 

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

On Church Street, three existing homes have been replaced with seven new 3, 4 and five-bedroom homes. Around the corner on Lindon Street two existing homes have made way for five 2 and 3-bedroom homes.

Another way Kāinga Ora is boosting the supply of homes in the Waimakariri District is by acquiring new homes and we have recently purchased six new homes on Percival Street, Rangiora from a local developer.

Canterbury Regional Director, Liz Krause says these 18 new homes are a prime example of how Kāinga Ora is working to renew its housing stock across the region to provide more homes to those in need.

“Increasing the number of homes on some sites means we can make better use of our properties and more people can live in areas like Rangiora, that have good transport options and are close to schools, shops and other local amenities.

“These new homes are well-suited to the modern lifestyles of our customers and they’re also warmer and drier, helping keep power bills down.

“The homes also come with their own off-street parking and some meet full universal design standards, meaning they can be adapted to be accessible for people of all abilities, at any stage of life,” says Liz.

Further redevelopments are taking place at Kāinga Ora properties across Rangiora and Kaiapoi with demolition, site preparations and construction having begun for a further five sites.

“Our work to renew our housing portfolio will go some way to meeting the need for more homes in the community. As we progress these redevelopments, we’re keeping neighbours, the local community and key stakeholders informed with updates on progress.

“Now we’ve delivered these first three projects, we’re really looking forward to delivering a further 31 new homes in Kaiapoi and Rangiora by the end of this year,” Liz says.

You can view these upcoming developments in Kaiapoi and Rangiora(external link).

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Lydia was a healthy, independent woman working full-time in Nelson and living a fun-filled, sociable life until 2010 when a tumour was detected on her brain.

Lydia travelled to Christchurch for surgery to remove the tumour, but unfortunately during the operation she suffered a life-changing stroke.

“All of a sudden, I went from being able to do what I wanted, when I wanted, to losing the use of my legs and not being able to support myself financially,’’ Lydia explains.

“That’s really challenging to get your head around. You’re going in for a straightforward surgery and you come out with a new, life-altering health issue to deal with. But after processing what this meant for me, I said to myself ‘life is for living’ and I wasn’t going to dwell on the hand life had dealt me.’’

With the support of the Laura Fergusson Trust, Lydia kept that attitude throughout an intensive rehabilitation programme at Christchurch’s Burwood Hospital. She built back her strength and learnt to do as much as she could for herself, using a motorised wheelchair.

While in rehabilitation, Lydia decided she needed to stay in Christchurch so she could be close to her Canterbury-based family. She moved into an accessible Kāinga Ora home and has lived there happily for the past 13 years.

“I just love it here. It’s close to Mum and Dad and it’s provided me with a stable base to focus on my health and not dwell on what’s been thrown my way. Although I may need a bigger place soon as the Smurfs really are taking over,” she says with a grin as she surveys the growing collection of Smurf figurines on display in her living room.

Lydia not only loves the home she lives in, but she also loves the community she lives in and has built a network of friendships across north-west Christchurch.

She is a regular at the local retirement village’s ‘happy hour’ and at the local shops and gym.

“Because my home is so well located, I can bus to appointments across town. But wherever possible I try to get myself where I need to go in my chair. I must be out and about more than I think, because people around the neighbourhood now recognise me and wave!

“The upside of all of this is that I see a lot of sun and it helps me keep this tanned goddess look,” she jokes.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Her closest neighbours and friends were invited to come along to help celebrate the momentous occasion. Sylvia says she is close with her next-door neighbours and wherever they can, they always look out for each other.

“As we have got older it is harder to get together as much as we used to. We always used to celebrate each other’s birthdays and have BBQs in the garden. We still try and help each other out when we can. If someone is unwell or coming back from hospital, we look out for each other and help with meals. My neighbours will also help by watering gardens if someone is away.”

To top off her birthday festivities, she even received the renowned 100th birthday card from King Charles III.

Sylvia has faced many challenges throughout her 100 years, including living in Christchurch during the earthquakes and being a passenger involved in the Wahine disaster. But her positive outlook on life and kindness towards others is what kept her going through all these years.

“My advice is to don’t spend too long licking your wounds when things don’t go well. Help people when you can and be kind. Don’t judge others or worry about what they are doing; you can only control yourself.”

Sylvia has lived in her Kāinga Ora home for the last 14 years after moving to Tauranga from Christchurch after the earthquakes. “The retirement village I was living in was badly damaged. I thought it was a good time to come back to Tauranga where I used to live.”

“This is a lovely place to be. We have a nice outlook, Otumoetai is a good area and very peaceful.”

Sylvia is clear about what has helped her live a long life “Genetics, my mother lived in her own home until she passed away at the age of 99 and a half!”

“You have to keep moving your body if you want to stay in your own home as you get older. Do as much as you can but know when to stop and rest. I have home help each day, but I still try to do as much as I can myself.” 

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Kicked off alongside materials suppliers and build partners, the trial involves Kāinga Ora directly purchasing and arranging the delivery of materials for a number of social housing developments.

This is expected to increase the amount of effective time on the tools, streamlining the workflow and allowing tradespeople to focus on the core mahi of building homes, says Matt Hulett, GM Delivery Transformation.

Kāinga Ora is trialling a mix of management and planning processes involved in materials supply. Each of these processes have been co-designed with programme partners Mitre 10 and Carters, along with TW Construction, Penny Homes, Kotahi Construction, Shaw Construction and Kahikatea Construction.

“This new way of working will be used in the delivery of more than 100 homes across 15 development sites in Rotorua over the next 18 months,” Matt says.

Ramping up delivery

In recent years, Kāinga Ora has significantly increased its capacity to deliver new state houses and to retrofit existing homes.

“To be able to scale up even more, we’ve gone through a process of improving how we work with the sector using our new Housing Delivery System,” he says.

“We’ve delved into the micro-processes that go into building a house. This includes itemising every bolt, nail and screw that goes into our standard house designs to enable more coordinated planning of logistics and workplans.

“Because we have that detailed visibility, we are now focussed on taking a more active role in materials supply.”

Right materials at the right time

“We are targeting a cost saving of more than 30% through the research programme. To achieve this, we need to do things differently.

“Kāinga Ora has contracted the five builders involved and their sub trades on a labour only basis.

“Build contracts that Kāinga Ora has typically used in the past have involved a fixed price for labour and materials and the builder has been responsible for getting materials where they need to be,” Matt says.

“Through the trial, we are aiming to ensure exactly the right materials are delivered to site when and where they’re needed. Therefore, the tradesperson won’t need to waste time waiting on a delivery, working around other tradespeople or driving to the store to buy a missing item.

“This means more time spent on the tools, essentially, speeding up delivery. We’ll be working closely with our partners to test and refine our processes as the research project progresses,” he says.

The first three home development recently got underway in Rotorua, alongside TW Construction and Mitre 10.

More information

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Te Mātāwai is the largest, single site supported social housing complex in Aotearoa New Zealand, with 276 homes and 24/7 on-site support services.

With the complex newly opened in August 2023, Dayne Smith, Kāinga Ora Community Development Manager, says the photography project is an initiative designed to help residents, staff, visitors, and neighbours get to know each other better through having their portrait taken.

One of our residents, Shadow, has been the driving force behind this idea. The concept has been brought to life through the support of Kāinga Ora, AUT arts lecturer Dieneke Jansen, and another creative resident, Te,” says Dayne.

“Te invites people inside to introduce themselves over a cup of tea and a bite to eat. The photographer, Shadow, takes their portrait with participants able to choose their favourite shot and how it will be displayed. Those keen on something more creative can even go for AI-generated backgrounds.”

With participants’ permission the selected portraits are displayed on the ground floor exterior windows at Te Mātāwai for the local community to view. “The portraits will be taken and displayed over a two-week period but we have plans to display them longer in a communal space inside the complex and share them in our community newsletter after that. Participants also get to keep a copy for themselves,” Dayne says.

Dayne says further initiatives are planned for the complex.

“We are always looking for ways to help Te Mātāwai become a welcoming, inclusive, and thriving community and invite anyone interested in working with our customers on creative projects or other ideas to get in touch.”

For more about Te Mātāwai(external link)

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

When Kainga Ora was established in 2019, the breadth of work we were tasked to deliver expanded significantly and we had to increase our workforce.

We have performed our core functions while constantly evolving, and over the last 18 months we have been able to start reducing our internally focused change programmes and resources.

Kāinga Ora is now further responding to government direction to identify potential savings while maintaining the delivery of our core functions and services.

In November 2023 Kāinga Ora introduced recruitment restrictions for all roles that were not frontline or customer facing and removed 300 roles from budgets. We have not been replacing people as they have left, and we have not renewed fixed terms roles as they have ended.

The next phase of this work is focused on achieving further efficiencies by changing the approach we take and reducing the volume of work we undertake in some support (or back-office) functions. We are realigning, repositioning and reducing the size of those teams.

There will be job losses as a result of this work. We are very mindful of the impact this will have on our people so we’re taking a staged, considered approach that enables us to carefully support staff through the process.

We are currently consulting with staff in teams within the People Governance and Capability, Government and Sector Relationships, and National Services groups about change proposals that could result in a net reduction of 159 positions.

The exact number of positions that will be disestablished within the teams will not be finalised until we have completed consultation with affected staff.

Kāinga Ora will be offering voluntary redundancy to people in the affected teams.

Change proposals for some other teams within Kāinga Ora will be put out for consultation with affected staff in the coming months.

Depending on the outcome of the independent review into Kāinga Ora and the decisions the Government makes in this year’s Budget, additional changes to staffing levels could be required. Kāinga Ora is committed to making sure that staff are the first to learn of any changes that are proposed.