Building Momentum – Public housing construction advancing at pace

A Kāinga Ora home means childhoods are not spent moving from one property and school to another. Our public homes mean support, security, access to jobs and improved wellbeing for so many New Zealanders in need. Just one home can have a lifelong impact that spans generations.

This financial year, ending 30 June 2023, Kāinga Ora will have delivered over 2,500 new warm and dry public homes throughout Aotearoa. That number will increase to between 4,500 and 5,300 in the next financial year with the help of our partners and private developers.

In 2020 we launched Building Momentum, our construction plan for future homes. Since then, our public housing construction programme has continued to increase in scale and efficiency.

Throughout Aotearoa there is a significant number of public housing construction projects within the resource consent phase, under construction or completed in any given month. Here is a snapshot of some of our recent progress.

Consent to develop  

Since January 2023 we have lodged redevelopment resource consents for new public homes across Invercargill, Christchurch, Ashburton, Blenheim, Nelson, Upper Hutt, Porirua, Kāpiti, Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland, and Whangārei.

In April this year, our applications included resource consent to build a six-story apartment building in New Lynn, Auckland. The current plan proposes 48 units on land that was previously part of the New Lynn bowling club. The development will include a range of one- to three- bedroom apartments, community spaces with a children’s playground, BBQ and a cycle or mobility scooter room.

A proposed plan for a 50 senior living one- to two- bedroom apartment complex in Mt Wellington, Auckland has been lodged. Designs include a community space, meeting room, cycle or mobility parking and landscaping featuring seating, a pétanque court and vegetable garden.

In April, resource consents were approved for projects expected to deliver new public homes across Aotearoa including Rangiora, Christchurch, Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Kāpiti and Auckland. Five of these projects will deliver ten or more homes, demonstrating our ongoing increase in apartment and duplex typology for our public housing developments.

Public housing development commenced

Construction commenced in April for new redevelopment projects across the country including Christchurch, Gisborne, Napier, Rotorua, Tūrangi, Ōpōtiki, Auckland and Kaikohe. These projects vary in the number of homes that will be delivered with the largest development being an 18 unit three-level walkup in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland.

A number of new projects will leverage offsite manufacturing (OSM) units, including five new homes in Ōpōtiki. Another in Rotorua will deliver seven standalone homes ranging from two- to four- bedrooms, and are manufactured to full universal design.

A development in Mangere, Auckland, will use a panelised OSM system to replace eight existing public homes with 18 duplex or terraced homes across a mix of two- and three- bedrooms.

Construction commenced on ten new public homes in Tūrangi, and in Ōtara, Auckland, on eleven new full universal design homes - eight with three bedrooms and four will have four bedrooms.

Kāinga Ora also partners with private developers to deliver public housing.

In Nelson we are working with developer JV Properties Limited to build a new three-storey development providing 29 one-bedroom apartments. These homes will help address the urgent need for public housing in Nelson, and the high demand for one-bedroom homes.

In Dunedin, we are partnering with local developers to increase the supply of public housing for Otago. We plan to purchase 27 new homes across three developments in the city, with the first homes scheduled for completion in June 2023.

A new public housing development planned for Whangārei will deliver 95 new, modern homes on Kauika Road. The development is being delivered by Phoenix Property, and Kāinga Ora will take ownership once building work is complete. The homes include three-level walk-up apartments and standalone, two storey houses for individuals and whānau. House construction is expected to start in the second half of 2024.

Construction completed in April

In April, Kāinga Ora teams delivered 221 new public homes, adding to the 441 new public homes delivered in the first quarter of 2023. These new safe, warm, and dry and homes are spread throughout the country including Kaikohe, Kaitaia, Whangārei, Dargaville, Auckland, Huntly, Hamilton, Hastings, Gisborne, Napier, Lower Hutt, and Christchurch.

Homes delivered include ten duplex and standalone homes in Riccarton, Christchurch, that are two, four or five-bedrooms, and the first 13 of a 106 development in Lower Hutt with 48 more homes due for completion in August, and the remaining 45 due in February 2024.

In Auckland we completed one of our largest deliveries so far in Roskill South of 27 duplex and standalone three or four- bedroom homes.

Construction was also completed on a 12 unit three-level walk up apartment in Massey Road, Mangere, and a development of ten duplex and terrace homes in Mt Albert, Auckland, which all have rooftop solar as part of the Kāinga Ora Renewable Energy Programme.

From January this year to the end of April over 662 new public home developments have been completed.

Working together to build a brighter future

A Kāinga Ora home means more than just a roof over someone’s head. Our partners don’t just design and build houses, they deliver an opportunity to make life better for New Zealanders who need support to build a brighter future.

We thank all our designers, architects, engineers, landscape designers, build partners and private developers working with us to help deliver more quality public homes at scale and pace.