New homes for Kaitaia

Thirteen new public homes have recently opened in Kaitaia, the largest development of its kind to be delivered by Kāinga Ora in the Far North town.

The modern and much-needed homes, constructed by local build partner The Far North Roading Group (FNR), are not just warm and dry, they come fully equipped with rooftop solar panels that will result in cheaper power bills for customers.

Jeff Murray, Regional Director – Northland, says it is the first Kāinga Ora development in Te Tai Tokerau to receive solar panels through the Government’s Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund.

“With rising rent and living costs, many whanau in Kaitaia are under financial stress. Having the solar panels will make a significant difference for these customers, with an expected savings of around 20-30 percent off their electricity bill.

“Ultimately these homes will lower weekly expenses for those moving in, while also providing a place of safety and stability,” he said.

Manu Burkhardt Macrae, Managing Director of The FNR Group, says their team of local civil and building professionals built the homes over a period of 18 months, through some extremely challenging weather conditions.

“This is the first new build project we have done in partnership with Kāinga Ora and we are really proud to have delivered these quality homes for whānau in Kaitaia.

“The project has given some of our younger staff great exposure to residential building and has enabled us to support numerous local sub-contractors,” he said.

The new homes are all within a 10-minute walk of local reserves, shops and community services such as doctors. The properties are also within a 2km radius of multiple schools and the local hospital.

Kāinga Ora has over 280 homes in planning or under construction in Northland.

To date over 200 Kāinga Ora homes have received solar panels with more than 500 additional homes in the pipeline.