Design guidelines

The guides are for everyone involved in construction or building work on Kāinga Ora homes. It provides a consistent development model and a set of performance-based design guidelines.

They describe our design and build process from start to finish, making it an indispensable guide for anyone working or thinking about working on one of our housing projects.

Ngā Paerewa Hoahoa Whare: Design Requirements v1.1 is in the process of being updated, and the next version will reflect the recent decision to discontinue Homestar in new public housing. This change is administrative and does not change the quality or specification of the homes as set out within Ngā Paerewa.

Ngā Paerewa Hoahoa Whare: Design Requirements

Ngā Paerewa Hoahoa Whare: Design Requirements replaces the previous M-255 Housing Standard for all projects initiated from 1 January 2023.

It sets out the requirements for the design of all new public housing delivered by, and for, Kāinga Ora. Incorporation of these requirements into the design and construction of our homes enables us to meet our responsibilities as a government agency and long-term asset owner, while ensuring our customers are able to live well within their homes.

Ngā Paerewa Hoahoa Whare: Design Requirements [PDF, 3.5 MB]

Interior colour choices (M-250) [PDF, 314 KB]

Quality Homes Advisory Note - changes to threshold requirements (CA-GDL-019a) [PDF, 573 KB]

Masterplanning for Universal Design

Universal design is about creating places and spaces that welcome as many different people as possible. This guide shows how Kāinga Ora and its partners can use universal design to deliver inclusive and well-connected streets, developments and neighbourhoods.

Masterplanning for Universal Design uses two key measures: proximal accessibility and street-level accessibility to assess the public realm and identify improvements. It also contains a checklist to ensure that streets are S-O-S; Safe, Obvious and Step-Free, plus links to design standards and best practice guidance from New Zealand and overseas.

Masterplanning for Universal Design [PDF, 3.4 MB]

Tāone Ora: Urban Design Guidelines

These urban design guidelines outline our urban design expectations for the development of all Kāinga Ora housing - covering public, affordable and market housing across Aotearoa. These guidelines focus on the development of superlots and buildings. They consider neighbourhood context, making the most of the site and guidance focused on buildings that enables good urban design outcomes. These guidelines will support our organisation and our delivery partners, with the aim of ensuring that our work meets our core objective of delivering sustainable, thriving communities, which enable positive social and built outcomes.

This document replaces existing urban design guidance for all new projects initiated from 16th March 2023.

Tāone Ora: Urban Design Guidelines [PDF, 18 MB]

Ngā Tikanga Ārahi Pae Arotake Hoahoa: Design Review Panels Terms of Reference

These terms of reference outline design review processes, timeframes and documentation requirements for all Kāinga Ora Design Review Panels - covering public, affordable and market housing across Aotearoa. This document will support our organisation and our delivery partners to clearly navigate the design review process which is critical in ensuring all developments meet our design expectations.

This document replaces existing design review process guidance for all new projects initiated from 16th March 2023.

Ngā Tikanga Ārahi Pae Arotake Hoahoa: Design Review Panels Terms of Reference [PDF, 2.8 MB]

Toitū Te Whenua Toitū Te Kāinga: Landscape Design Guide For Public Housing

Landscape is a critical component of Kāinga Ora developments at all scales, and directly affects the health and wellbeing of our communities. The guide applies to Public Housing across all delivery programmes with the aim of ensuring that our work meets our core objective of delivering sustainable, thriving communities, which enable positive social outcomes.

This document replaces existing Landscape Design Guide for State Housing for all new projects initiated from 24th March 2023.

Toitū Te Kāinga: Landscape Design Guide For Public Housing [PDF, 18 MB]

Open Space and Streets Design Guide

Kāinga Ora has published new guidance for the development of streets and open spaces, including parks, play areas, wayfinding elements and multi-modal/pedestrian pathways within and around our developments and Large-Scale Projects (LSPs).

The Open Space and Streets Design Guide acts as a toolkit for internal delivery teams, local government departments and civil construction partners.

The guide diagrammatically depicts suggested typologies, allowing future projects to be easily coordinated with both councils and civils delivery partners around the country. The document also details cost efficient material and furniture selections as preferred design choices by local authorities and asset owners.

The guidance aims to improve internal processes and improve collaboration with external partners, helping to achieve significant time and cost efficiencies.

Kāinga Ora Open Space and Streets Design Guide [PDF, 19 MB]

The Retrofit Design Standard

The Retrofit Design Standard applies to new Retrofit Projects from 1 June 2024. If practicable, ongoing projects that began before 1 June will be reviewed by the Kāinga Ora Delivery Team according to these new guidelines (as long as there is no adverse impact on costs or work timelines for partners).

Retrofit Design Standard [PDF, 709 KB]

Solar photovoltaic (PV) ready building guide

This document provides guidelines for the design of Kāinga Ora buildings that are to include solar PV systems. It is provided as a resource to the Kāinga Ora Renewable Energy Trials and does not currently form part of the Kāinga Ora performance requirements (M-134/ M-135).

Solar Photovoltaic Building Design Guidelines [PDF, 908 KB]

Fences - Standard design sheets

If your property borders our property and you have plans for the fence-line, we may consider contributing to the cost of a new fence or an improvement to an existing fence, but you'll need to give us written notice and include information about the proposed work.

The proposed fence should meet our minimum fencing Wire mesh timber fence details standard detail [PDF, 163 KB]

For more information, including a full list of documents to include when requesting a Kainga Ora contribution to a fence, see our fencing page.

Subdivision Plan Guide

The Subdivision Plan Guide provides guidance to external surveyors and build/development partners on subdivision scheme plans and Land Transfer plans to reflect Kāinga Ora operational and asset management requirements.

Download the Subdivison Plan Guide [PDF, 2.1 MB]

Homestar

Kāinga Ora has discontinued Homestar certification on new state housing deliveries.

This does not result in any design or specification changes for our developments and there will be no decline in the standard of new state homes being specified.

Projects are still required to comply with Kāinga Ora design guidelines and build standards including requirements set out in Nga Paerewa Hoahoa Whare: Design Requirements [PDF, 3.5 MB].