Category: Housing Sector

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Planter boxes are built by students at UCOL in Palmerston North as part of their building and construction course, and delivered and installed by the Manawatū Food Action Network. To keep the vegetables and whānau thriving, the food action group also provides advice and guidance on caring for the plants.

Sazshia is one of 80 whānau in the Manawatū to receive a planter box through the initiative, which aims to improve wellbeing through kai security.

After receiving the planter box, Sazshia made a deal with her children to learn about gardening and grow their own kai.

“They wanted a pet, so I made them a deal: if they could grow and look after two tomato plants each, we would discuss getting one. Fortunately, they weren’t good plant parents, so we compromised by getting a fish,” Sazshia says.

“I love spending time with my kids in the garden and showing them where, how, and what type of kai we can grow and eat. We also explore their favourite vegetables, and I encourage them to try every veggie at least once because we’ve grown them in our own garden.”

From humble beginnings growing only tomatoes, Sazshia’s garden is now home to peppers, lettuces, cabbages, cauliflowers, capsicums, rosemary, chives, and lemon basil and she’s busy sharing her newfound knowledge with others. Through volunteering at several community organisations, including Just Zilch Food Rescue and Community Fruit Harvest Manawatū, Sazshia also supports other whānau who have received a planter box to grow kai and connect.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

“It’s a way of using materials like bread bags or old supermarket bags that would otherwise be in landfill and giving them a new lease of life. It brings me joy to know that I’m making things that will have a second chance at life. Necessity is the mother of invention,” says Diana.

The long-time Kāinga Ora customer works hard to create connection and encourage resourcefulness within the North Shore neighbourhood she’s called home since 1968.

And true to her compassionate form, Diana teaches others the skills of her craft. It’s been so successful she’s made waves overseas and now teaches a group in England over Zoom.

“I met one of them through knitting in New Zealand and they got a bunch of people together who wanted to learn.

“I like getting people thinking about different ways to use things.  If one person makes one bag, that saves up to 90 bread bags going to landfill,” says Diana.

Her husband Wallace has also gotten involved, sharing a lifetime of handy skills with others.  His lessons have included, teaching a neighbour how to make a fishing net, showing others how to grow silverbeet in old containers and even tutoring locals on how to cure a ham.

As well as working hard to share their repurposing skills, Diana put her hand up to run a fortnightly social group to help foster connectedness. Every second Wednesday, she opens the local community rooms for neighbours to enjoy morning tea and kōrero.

Community get-togethers are also the perfect time for Diana to showcase her homemade board games to play on special days like St Patrick’s Day or Valentine’s Day. There is even one for the Melbourne Cup!

“I just want people to be able to come along, connect and have fun. People seem to really enjoy it and they often learn something too.”

Whether she’s laying out the kai for her fortnightly social group or teaching people how to knit using old bread bags, Diana is always focussed on her community.

“Back in the 1960s, when I was raising my four children here, everyone on the street knew each other. It was like a village. Everyone was ‘Auntie.’”

“Even though times have changed, I like helping to keep that close-knit community feeling. Everyone benefits from living in a neighbourhood like that, where people know your name.”

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

John, a Kāinga Ora customer, earned that moniker because he scooters everywhere around Timaru and through his notorious online videos which draw attention to everything from footpath maintenance and litter problems to questionable displays of driving.

“I’m known for getting around town on my scooter, but I never want to be defined by my disability,’’ explains 78-year-old John, who has a spinal condition which affects his mobility.

“Ever since I completed a computing course in 1994, I’ve loved the fun and self-expression you can have online and through social media.

“The videos I film and create are a good bit of fun for me, and they seem to bring a smile to people’s faces which is a bonus. All the new technology has kept a bit of keeping up with, but I enjoy it and it keeps me busy.

“Social media is a great tool for staying connected with your community and I wish more people of my generation gave it a whirl,” John says.

Increasing mobility issues means John is not producing as many videos as he used to, but there’s been an unexpected upside to that – he now has more time to enjoy his newly retrofitted home.

John has been living in his Kāinga Ora home for nearly four decades, but recently it was upgraded to make it warmer, drier and more energy efficient and to extend its lifespan.

The house was given a new kitchen and bathroom, a fresh lick of paint, and new double-glazing throughout.

“I’ve lived in this lovely home for over 37 years, but it’s never been as good as this,” John says. “The new windows keep the heat in much better than the old ones did and my power bills in the colder months are a lot smaller now.

“The new kitchen and bathroom are so much easier to use. I’m so grateful to Kāinga Ora for this place and the retrofit improvements.

“Now I just need to get my own facelift!” John jokes. 
 

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Kāinga Ora has signed an agreement with TGC to purchase seven brand new two-bedroom homes at Galloway Street, Mornington once they are completed.

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

“Dunedin continues to be a priority area for us based on current demand. A large proportion of our homes in the city are among the oldest in the country, so it’s important we continue to renew our portfolio and purchasing new homes from developers is one of the ways we can do this.

“We are particularly focussed on providing new homes in areas of the city that are well connected to amenities, open green spaces and services. The Galloway Street development delivers this for us,” Ms Young says.

The new homes are well suited to modern lifestyles and each one comes with its own off-street parking. Construction of the homes has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“We’re delighted to have partnered with TGC on this high-quality development and are looking forward to whānau moving in to the new homes later in the year,” says Ms Young.

Dunedin residents can now access a new interactive map(external link), which is a handy tool showing people the latest details for all our developments in their neighbourhood.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

The programme is a collaboration of Te Rā Nui – Eastern Porirua Development(external link) partners (Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council and Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira) along with local jobs and skills providers Le Fale, Mahi Toa and Rāranga Building Careers.

“Te Rā Nui has always been so much more than building warmer, drier homes for eastern Porirua,” says Will Pennington. “It’s about working in partnership to also help enhance things like education, job opportunities and training, public transport, water infrastructure and local amenities, so our local residents can live their best lives.”

The recent removal of non-indigenous pine trees from two local parks (Bothamley and Cannons Creek Park) to enable Te Rā Nui to undertake key infrastructure upgrades in the area has provided an opportunity to create a local cadetship programme.

“The revegetation work undertaken by the local cadets, along with stormwater, wastewater and drinking water upgrades, will significantly improve the local environment, something the community has felt very strongly about since the formation of the large-scale project,” says Will Pennington.

Each year, Le Fale – Jobs and Skills Hub and Mahi Toa will be referring around 10 local residents to the programme, who will then be supported by the Porirua City Council Parks team and local iwi business Rāranga Building Careers to earn NZQA qualifications and on-the-job training.

“Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira enthusiastically supports the upskilling of our people and enhancement of the mana and wellbeing of our taiao. This initiative accomplishes both and is an example of what’s possible when we work together. Historically, residential development in Porirua was detrimental to our environment, and this as an opportunity to remedy those harms and set an example of how to do better for both people and place” says Helmut Modlik, Chief Executive Te Rūnanga o Tao Rangatira.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says the cadetship programme is already an all-round success story – for the Te Rā Nui partnership, for our local jobs and skills providers, for eastern Porirua, and for the region as a whole. “The programme provides training and employment for local residents, enhances our environment, and uses plants from the Porirua City Council Sievers Grove Nursery in eastern Porirua. One of the cadets has already moved into a full-time role with the Parks team in Porirua City, which is a fantastic outcome,” she says.

Want to get involved?

The Environmental Cadetship Programme still has spaces available. Anyone in eastern Porirua who is interested in learning more about the programme or finding other local employment opportunities is encouraged to reach out to either:

Le Fale – Jobs and Skills Hub
8 Warspite Avenue, Cannons Creek
info@lefale.org.nz
https://www.facebook.com/Lefalejobandskillshub/(external link)

or

Mahi Toa
https://www.ngatitoa.iwi.nz/employment(external link)
mahitoa@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

or

Rāranga Building Careers
Website: https://raranga.net.nz/(external link)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Raranga.BuildingCareers/(external link)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/80273285/admin/feed/posts/ (external link)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raranga_buildingcareers/(external link)

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Julia Campbell, Regional Director Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast, says Kāinga Ora held an open home event for neighbours, and other interested community members, after the 14 two-bedroom homes had been blessed by local iwi on Wednesday 3 April.

Kāinga Ora is currently working through final approvals with the developer and expects to settle on the purchase of the homes in mid-April.

“We know that there’s been strong community interest in the homes while construction has been underway so we’re giving people the chance to see inside them before the first customers are expected to move in later this month,” she says.

Ms Campbell says Kāinga Ora is also looking forward to providing more warm and dry homes in the town.

“This is a great opportunity to provide modern new homes in an area of the town that’s close to all the things that people need in their day-to-day lives such as shops and recreational facilities,” she says.

The homes are all full universal design, which means they are suitable for people living with mobility or accessibility issues.

The homes and landscaping have also been designed to meet new flooding requirements in the town. They are relocatable and have pile foundations, which means further flood mitigation work can also be carried out if it is needed in the future.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Of the 31 whānau moving in, 27 will be moving out of motels and other temporary accommodation into these modern homes that have just been completed. They bring with them 24 tamariki who will now have a warm, dry, secure place to call home.

This is a significant milestone for Gisborne, and for whānau and their tamariki in need of housing, says East North Island Regional Director Naomi Whitewood (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi). “It is Gisborne’s largest social housing development in decades and has been a boost for the local economy.”

“We are committed to delivering the extra houses in Tairāwhiti that have been budgeted for in the Public Housing Plan. These new homes will make a real difference meeting some of the demand for more housing in Gisborne. They will also make a real difference for the whānau moving in. We know that having a stable home is important to all aspects of a person’s life – from education and employment to physical and mental health.”

Karen Bartlett, Regional Commissioner for the Ministry of Social Development, agrees. “We know temporary and emergency accommodation is not an ideal way to raise a family and moving 24 tamariki into a secure and stable home is a reason to celebrate. MSD congratulates Kāinga Ora, we are so pleased to work alongside them to see new families moving into these homes right away.”

The whānau that get to call this new development home will be a mix of younger families, as well as older people and others with accessibility challenges, adds Naomi. “Twenty-seven of the 31 homes have been built to full universal design standards (FUD). Some come with ramps, wider doors and accessible bathrooms.”

The single-storey duplex and standalone homes are a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedrooms.

TW Property have built the houses and managed the project from the beginning. Now they are complete and ready to live in, Kāinga Ora has bought the homes for whānau in need.

“By purchasing from developers, we can increase the number of homes available to house people as quickly as possible. Kāinga Ora worked proactively with TW Property to ensure the homes were built to a high standard and will meet the needs of our customers and communities.”

Maximising the number of local tradespeople involved and ensuring the economic benefits of such a large development are enjoyed within the region, was a priority, says Leah MacDonell at TW Group. “The project has been positive for local employment. More than 70 job opportunities have been created for Gisborne tradespeople. We have signed up several apprentices who have been working on this development, equipping them with invaluable skills while bolstering the local workforce.“

One of the initial challenges TW Property had to manage was ensuring that there was no extra pressure on Gisborne’s stormwater network that would contribute to future flooding. “Thirty-one 2000L attenuation tanks have been installed on the site. These capture stormwater runoff and then slowly release it back into Gisborne’s stormwater system.”

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

Across the neighbourhood, there have been over 14,700m2 of new and upgraded roads delivered, 12kms of utility lines undergrounded and around 28,000 new plants and 440 trees planted, over the past five years.

In addition, significant stormwater infrastructure upgrades have been completed, including the installation of over 6.6km of stormwater piping and daylighting streams, helping to safeguard homes from future severe weather events.

Current and future residents can also take advantage of three new parks and two public greenspaces delivered as part of the redevelopment works, including the award-winning Te Ara Awataha greenway-Ngutu Kōtare  and Te Kaitaka/Greenslade Reserve.

Shanon Tapp, Director Infrastructure and Civil Construction at Kāinga Ora says the works delivered to date lays the foundation for the agency and its build partners to deliver hundreds of new social, market and affordable homes, supports asset owners in having infrastructure capacity to enable future private development, while improving amenity for existing residents.

“Over the past five years, our design and civil construction partner, LEAD Alliance, has worked alongside mana whenua and teams from Auckland Council, the CCOs, Chorus and Vector to deliver around $150 million of essential infrastructure upgrades to support future growth in Auckland.

“Brownfield development is complex and we’re proud of what this partnership has delivered to date – the stormwater interventions in place in Northcote, for example. They performed well during the severe weather events of 2023, preventing nearby homes and the town centre from flooding. They’re also a great example of what cross asset type solutions can offer in terms of being an efficient and robust use of space, deliver great environmental outcomes and provide spaces for the community to come together and connect.”

To date, around 317 older houses have been removed or relocated in Northcote, making room for around 1,700 new social, market and affordable homes of different sizes and types to be delivered.

LEAD Alliance’s General Manager Mark Crowle reflects: “Upgrading Auckland’s above and underground infrastructure requires unprecedented collaboration between partners across the region. It is great to see the results speak for themselves – people enjoying a better quality of life in the city’s suburbs as we lay the groundwork for many more homes.”

Northcote follows completion of civil infrastructure works in the Roskill South Neighbourhood in November 2023.

Further civil infrastructure works and residential construction is underway across the Kāinga Ora large-scale projects (LSPs) in Roskill, Oranga, Mangere, Tāmaki and Porirua.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

This significant development sees 54 old flats replaced with a mixture of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and studio apartments in buildings ranging from two to five storeys. These homes are designed to provide more than just shelter – they offer a fresh start and a supportive community for residents.

Central to Te Ō is the Single Site Supported Housing model, the first of its kind in Wellington. This model ensures that residents not only have a place to call home but also have access to comprehensive support services right at their doorstep, provided by Wellington City Mission. From employment assistance and healthcare to budgeting advice and skill development workshops, the aim is to foster a supportive environment that enhances the well-being of every resident.

Vicki McLaren, Kāinga Ora Regional Director for the Greater Wellington Region, emphasises the transformative impact of this approach.

“We’re not just building homes; we’re creating a community that lifts people up. Rolleston Street is about providing warm, secure, and supportive living spaces for those who need them most,” she states. The vision for Te Ō goes beyond physical structures to encompass a holistic approach to community and well-being.

The onsite support for residents will be delivered in partnership with the Wellington City Mission, leveraging their 119 years of experience in supporting Wellington communities. This collaboration promises to bring a wealth of knowledge and care to the residents, ensuring that the support provided is both meaningful and tailored to meet their needs.

“The Wellington City Mission’s involvement in Te Ō is a game-changer. Their dedication to supporting families across various settings in the region means we’re able to offer a level of care and support that truly makes a difference,” McLaren adds.

See more of what’s happening in the Wellington region.

Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

“It’s very important to have breakfast, lunch and tea at the table together,” Maria says.

After losing both parents while she was still at high school in Hamilton, Maria has had to adjust to life without them, while starting her own family.

Living in a stable home where she’s been able to create her own traditions and memories with her 14-year-old son and 13-year-daughter has played a big part in her healing process.

“I don’t have my parents around, so it was very important to me to find my own place in the world. I needed to establish my own identity. To be able to provide us with a safe and secure home is more than I could ever ask for,” she says.

Maria, who is of Tainui, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Raukawa descent, also continues to honour her whakapapa (family history). Photos of her whānau and ancestors line the walls of her home. Maria’s mother was one of the first teachers to start up a Kura Kaupapa (Māori language school), and now Maria is a Te Reo Māori tutor.

After volunteering at the local community gardens for four years, Maria now works part-time at Bunnings, where she organises community projects and kids’ DIY workshops. “I love working there because I get to be with plants. I love gardening and I’m in a space where I get to use my knowledge,” she says.

Maria’s home has recently been significantly renovated, as part of a Kāinga Ora programme to make older homes warmer and drier. After several months living in temporary accommodation provided by Kāinga Ora, Maria was overwhelmed at the way her home had been transformed when she and her family returned. “I cried when we came back home after the work was done. My first thought was, “Oh my gosh, my home!”

Maria is now saving hard so she can buy her own home – a place where she and her family can continue to make happy memories together. “I’m really focussing on achieving my goal of owning a home. I’m just trying to take it one step at a time so I don’t get overwhelmed,” she says.