Our approach to building

Why we’re good at what we do

Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s largest residential landlord and largest client of residential building services. We partner with other agencies, local government and iwi, as well as private partners, to deliver the Government’s housing priorities and help develop sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities. 

Our organisation is equipped to deliver warm, dry and safe housing across New Zealand. In the 2018-19 financial year, Kāinga Ora delivered the largest number of new homes in one year in recent history – 1,461 state homes. This is just the start of annual delivery of hundreds of new public and other homes for the foreseeable future.

Kāinga Ora has the right capabilities to tackle New Zealand’s current and future challenges. We have acquired expertise as a lead developer through large-scale residential projects such as Hobsonville Point.(external link)We will deliver different types of housing designed for modern living.

On top of that, our commitment to ensuring the housing we develop has a good mix of public, market and affordable homes (including KiwiBuild and other affordable options) means that the housing we’re supplying meets the needs of a wide range of New Zealanders.

Public housing - comprises the new and existing state homes that Kāinga Ora builds and manages for decades. Our development programmes replace, upgrade and add to New Zealand’s existing state homes.

Affordable housing - Homes in more affordable price ranges will feature in many of our new housing developments. This includes those looking for their first home.

Market Housing - Providing a variety of types of new homes is vital to addressing the country’s housing needs. Market homes are being built within neighbourhoods that also include community housing and KiwiBuild homes to create vibrant and diverse communities. By bringing a greater supply of homes to the general market for purchase we hope to help ease the pressure on pricing.

Design and planning

Kāinga Ora’s construction activities incorporate design principles and controls that ensure the housing we develop is of good quality and meets the needs of the communities we serve.

When we build we consider infrastructure, like roads and amenities, such as parks, to create neighbourhoods that are functional, attractive and that further local community aspirations. 

We have design guidelines in place for the building of state housing and our standard and bespoke designs for new homes apply Te Aranga Design Principles. These principles are founded on intrinsic Māori cultural values and aim to enhance mana whenua presence, visibility and participation in urban design.

In Auckland’s CBD, Kāinga Ora is delivering 276 apartments on Greys Avenue(external link). The design has been developed in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Orakei utilising Te Aranga principles. This has enabled us to develop the project in a way that is shaped by Māori culture and identity.

Construction Sector Accord

Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities is part of the Construction Sector Accord that was launched in April 2019 by the Prime Minister, Accord Ministers, and the industry Accord Development Group made up of 13 sector leaders from across industry and government.

The Accord created a platform for industry and government to work together to meet some of the key challenges facing the sector including skills and labour shortages, unclear regulations, a lack of coordinated leadership, an uncertain pipeline of work and a culture of shifting risk.

We’re proud that Bader Ventura, the first Kāinga Ora development to be built to Passive House standard, has been selected as a Beacon Project(external link) by the Construction Sector Accord. Bader Ventura is an exemplar of leadership and innovation in the sector, and supports the Accord's vision of 'a higher performing construction sector for a better New Zealand'.

Read the Construction Sector Accord(external link)

Watch The Accord's series of webinars 'Towards High Performance(external link)'.

Increasing our homes in the regions

We have increased the number of cities and towns we're looking to build in. This is in line with the Government's plan to increase public housing supply across New Zealand.

Our new homes will be modern, attractive and easy to maintain, accommodating both families and individuals. Most of the houses being constructed are one or two-bedroom, with some three and four-bedroom homes. They will be carpeted, insulated and double-glazed with thermal curtains. The homes will be sited on landscaped sections with private outdoor living areas, including parking.

All proposed buildings will be within the local Council’s district plan requirements and will take into consideration boundary lines and the orientation of the building to optimise sunlight. Where we are building homes on currently tenanted properties, we'll ensure adequate space between the properties.

If we need to remove an existing house to redevelop the site, we'll work closely with tenants to relocate them to other suitable homes, preferably in the area.