We know it has been a confusing and possibly upsetting time for our tenants and their whānau, with the change to a Level 4 Alert as a result of COVID-19 so we’re reaching out to check in on them.

We have about 200,000 New Zealanders living in our homes and their wellbeing in these unprecedented times is our priority. Although our offices are temporarily closed, our teams are working remotely to support our tenants and their whānau. Across New Zealand, Tenancy Managers are calling our tenants to check in, have a conversation about how they are doing and see if they need any additional support.

Tenants also have an opportunity to ask us questions. This could include clarification about all residential rent increases being frozen by the Government for six months, from 25 March 2020. During these calls, we also want to know if a tenant has had a change in circumstances, as a result of the Level 4 Alert.

These checks are all about ensuring our tenants know Kāinga Ora is open for business, and that we are here to support them during these unprecedented times.

Find out more about how we are prioritising our customers [PDF, 59 KB].

Our Customer Support Centre is open and our maintenance contractors are carrying out essential and emergency repairs in our homes.

A small number of tenants we’ve spoken to have needed some additional support and we have put them immediately in contact with support services in their local community.

We’ve also received positive feedback about these wellbeing calls on our Facebook page including a post from a family member who communicated their appreciation about a call we made to a relative in another city.

There have been many positive outcomes as a result of these wellbeing checks including the delivery of food parcels to elderly, working with the Salvation Army to deliver food parcels to tenants and ensuring an elderly tenant’s phone would not be disconnected.

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Page updated: 17 April 2020