Kāinga Ora Retrofit Programme
Kāinga Ora is making our homes warmer, drier and healthier to help improve the wellbeing of our tenants. Through our Retrofit Programme, we’re upgrading and improving some of our older homes to help provide our tenants great places to call home.
What work is carried out?
Full insulation, double glazing and improved air tightness
The renovations bring the homes up to current build standards and add another 50 years of life to the property and make the homes, warmer, drier and healthier.
While work can vary for every home, some improvements are standard - including full insulation (walls, ceiling and floor), double glazing, improved ventilation, and new heating. We may also upgrade bathrooms and kitchens, renovate the living areas to be more modern and open plan, and make the home more accessible.
Retrofitting an old state house takes around three to four months, including the time needed to move the tenants to a temporary home which is usually another state house in the same neighbourhood.
Delivering more warm, dry and healthy homes
Alongside our programme to build new state homes, we renovate over 800 homes each year.
We retrofit homes mainly outside of main metropolitan areas in New Zealand where state houses already exist and redeveloping the land with a higher number of new state houses is not required.
When we assess properties to see if they are a good candidate for retrofit, as part of the wider state housing plans for the area, we look at a range of factors. This includes the costs of upgrading the house, and how the house and land can best be used to meet state housing needs of the area.
We will be in touch with tenants if retrofit is potentially an option for their home.
Installing new double glazed windows
Case Study: Making a difference for our tenants
Tenant wellbeing is a key focus of the programme. The Kāinga Ora Tenancy Liaison team work closely with tenants to find temporary housing that meets their needs for the duration of construction, and support them at every step of the process.
Carol and Barbara in front of her new retrofitted home
We’ve heard from tenants how retrofit has benefitted their wellbeing. One tenant whose son had a respiratory condition said his condition had improved since moving back into the retrofitted home, which has meant making fewer visits to their doctor.
Barbara has been in her Lower Hutt home for over ten years, and was beyond excited to have her home retrofitted.
When Barbara saw her new home for the first time, with her family and Kāinga Ora staff alongside her, she was over the moon at the transformation: “I can’t believe it’s mine! It’s just so new and beautiful. ”
While Barbara was hesitant at first to temporarily relocate, Tenancy Liaison Officer Carol stepped her through the process. Through workshops, customers learn what happens to their homes and get to add a personal touch by choosing colours for the carpets, vinyl and exterior paint.
"When I was told my home was being retrofitted, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to move back into it. But Carol cleared that up and I’ve got no fears."
See the difference:
Barbara was kind enough to let us film her seeing her new home for the first time. Check out the video to see the difference retrofit is making.
Page updated: 22 July 2024