Ambitious Auckland development complete in time for Christmas

The 102 public homes at St Georges Rd development will be used for transitional housing, which will provide warm and dry, short-term accommodation for people and families who are in urgent need of housing.

It contains new homes of one to three bedrooms, ranging from two-level duplexes to six-level apartments. It was designed by Ministry of Architecture + Interiors and delivered by two build partners, Kalmar Construction and Miles Construction.

The complex will be managed by housing services provider Kāhui Tū Kaha who will provide wraparound support services to residents, along with help to find more permanent housing.

Programme Director Nick Seymour says safe and secure housing will be a welcome Christmas present for the many families and individuals who move in.

“Our role at Kāinga Ora is not just about building homes, it’s about building communities.

“Whether a site is used for permanent public housing or more short-term accommodation, it’s about delivering quality developments which create a sense of place for people,” Nick says.

“That’s why this development also contains a multi-purpose community room, shared green space and a tenancy office.”

The development sits on a 9,645 sqm site which previously contained 12 state houses and an underutilised plot of land managed by Eke Panuku Development Auckland on behalf of Auckland Council. Kāinga Ora also partnered with Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi to provide a connection to the Western Cycleway through the development.

It was the first Kāinga Ora development to become accredited by mental health charity MATES in Construction. St Georges Rd development was prioritised for accreditation because it had nearly 200 people working on it at any one time, Nick says.

“The support and mental health tools and resources that MATES in Construction provides to construction workers makes a real difference, especially in an industry with such high suicide rates.

“Recently, this has become even more important as the country, and particularly Auckland, has had to deal with the impacts of the Delta outbreak.”

The St Georges Road homes