ISSUE 31 | MARCH 2024
This issue
In this issue, we talk about how our partners are helping us undertake one of the biggest housing renewal programmes our country has ever seen. You will learn more about how we are ‘Building for Good’ through one of our most ambitious social housing projects. We’ve also provided some information about our social housing pipeline below.
On design and architecture:
Learn more about a new Fellowship facilitating innovative social housing designs for adapting to climate change.
Building better, brighter communities:
Check out the video about one of our flagship social housing developments in Avondale, Auckland and how it is producing striking social and economic impacts.
On urban planning and development:
Read more about the Property Council Emerging Leaders tour of our Hobsonville Point development, sharing learnings for future large-scale developments.
Partnering for new state homes:
Find out more about our 41-home development on Doncaster Drive in Tauranga, and the collaboration between our teams and Gemscott, the developer partner for the project.
Message from our land development, construction, commercial and urban planning leaders
Tēnā koutou,
In our previous newsletter, we shared how our valued build and development partners, consultants and industry experts have successfully delivered a phenomenal amount of mahi alongside Kāinga Ora.
Our spotlight for this edition is on the impact created by our retrofit and maintenance partners through one of the largest housing renewal programmes in the history of this nation.
The longstanding social housing heritage of Aotearoa is a taonga (treasure), and we work closely with our partners to ensure this legacy continues to benefit future generations, as it has for those before them.
As we continue our mahi throughout 2024, the support of our partners will be instrumental in helping thousands of people move into warm, dry, and high-quality homes this year.
Our Construction Pipeline
Market conditions have changed significantly in the last 18 months, and we recognise the impact this is having on many businesses in the construction sector throughout New Zealand.
Kāinga Ora delivers additional social housing according to the Government’s public housing plan, and currently, this growth plan is funded for housing delivery until June 2025.
To the end of February 2024, we have delivered nearly 2,000 new state homes in this financial year and just over 6,400 additional new homes are contracted or under construction for completion by the end of June 2025.
Kāinga Ora may be asked to deliver additional homes beyond June 2025, but this is subject to Crown budget processes and direction from the Government. We are unable to provide any assurances on future construction projects until we have received this direction.
As always, we value the relationships we have with our build and developer partners and thank you for your patience and understanding while we establish our future construction plans.
Ngā mihi maioha,
Patrick, Caroline, Mark, Hayley, and Matt
Fitting out a place called home
We are improving the lives of thousands of customers and their whānau while extending the life of our ageing housing stock, by providing much-needed upgrades to some of our state homes.
In the past financial year, over 25 build partners and their teams nationwide helped us deliver full renovations on hundreds of homes, while 11,000 tradespeople completed well over half a million maintenance jobs looking after the homes of our customers.
The impact of this mahi is immense, as old state homes are remodelled, maintained, and fitted out to make them warmer, drier, and more comfortable for decades to come.
“When the renovations are done, it’s like stepping into a new build – the effects can be truly life-changing for the whānau who live in those homes.”
Patrick Dougherty, GM - Construction and Innovation at Kāinga Ora
Did you know?
Our maintenance partners have worked hard to quickly repair flood-damaged homes, following the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
As of January 31, 2024, 579 out of the 584 homes that were the focus of our flood repair programme have been fixed. That is a stunning 99% of homes repaired as part of our programme and ready to welcome families again!
Social housing update
We delivered a wide range of social housing types throughout the first half of this financial year (July 1 to December 31, 2023). Check out our latest state home update for more information on some of our newest homes.
Building for Good
In Avondale, Auckland, Kāinga Ora is constructing one of the most significant social housing developments in Aotearoa, comprised of 236 apartments distributed among five buildings, all built on a 9,433 m2 site.
Take a look at the video profiling how we are working with our build partners to deliver social and economic benefits - from greenhouses for tenants to apprenticeship opportunities for youth and much, much more.
Influencing the next generation of urban developers
In January, representatives from our Urban Planning and Design (UPD) and Urban Development and Delivery (UDD) teams hosted a cohort of around 20 Property Council Emerging Leaders in Hobsonville Point.
Throughout the day, Hobsonville Point was used as a case study of a medium-density large-scale development coordinated by Kāinga Ora, in collaboration with multiple private sector organisations.
Those who have been involved in the development since the initial stages shared what has been achieved, highlighted successes, and reflected on what we have learnt for future developments. Find out more on our website.
Partnering for new homes in Tauranga
Supporting the communities we serve into homes relies on strong partnerships with the private sector. In Tauranga, we recently worked with developer partner Gemscott to deliver 41 new homes for whānau most in need.
Twenty-two of the homes are for Kāinga Ora social housing customers. The remaining 19 are for supported (transitional) housing, which provides temporary accommodation for those in urgent need of a place to stay, alongside tailored support to help them into longer-term housing.
Find out more about our 41-home development on Doncaster Drive in Tauranga and the collaboration between our teams and Gemscott.
Public Housing Fellowship looks to combat climate change
The inaugural recipients of the F. Gordon Wilson Public Housing Fellowship are Ellie Tuckey and Mitra Homolja, principals of Wellington-based architecture consultancy Third Studio.
Their research will explore the application of circular economy construction technology to make housing for our most vulnerable customers more climate resilient.
Discover more about the research which is supported by the Architectural Design Management Office (ADMO) of Kāinga Ora.
