New warm and dry homes on their way for Nelson

Construction of the new public homes at 125 Waimea Road in Nelson South is expected to begin in the next month, and to be completed in mid-2024.

Julia Campbell, Regional Director Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast, says these homes will help to address some of the urgent need for housing in Nelson, and the high demand for one-bedroom homes. A total of 261 people are currently on the public housing register in the city, 61 per cent of whom are waiting for a one-bedroom home.

“We know that too many people in Nelson are struggling to find a suitable home where they can build their lives. One of the ways we’re looking to increase the amount of housing available across the country is by partnering with developers to build new warm and dry homes in well-connected areas of the city.

“By building up, as we’ll be doing with this development, more people can enjoy living in a prime location that is close to their jobs, services and public transport routes.”

Nelson developer JV Properties Limited initially purchased the land to develop as housing and has been working through the resource consent process. Kāinga Ora has partnered with the developer to build public housing on the site and, now that the resource consent has been approved, ownership of the land transferred to Kāinga Ora this week.

Ms Campbell says a mix of current Kāinga Ora customers and people and couples in need of one-bedroom homes who are currently on the public housing register are likely to be matched to the homes.

“Our dedicated placement team will carefully match people to these homes. As part of this, we talk to people about their connections to the community to help us to find the right home for them,” Ms Campbell says.

Kāinga Ora is planning a series of drop-in sessions for residents where they will be able to learn more about this development, and will be sharing the details of these once they are confirmed.

“We’re committed to keeping neighbours and the wider community informed as our plans for these homes progress,” Ms Campbell says.