Hawke’s Bay to get 150 new social homes in community-led initiative

Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd said there was a significant pipeline of housing being built in Flaxmere. Photo / NZME

The Government has announced 150 new social homes will be built in Hawke’s Bay in a community-led approach benefiting families in need, with a large number being built in Flaxmere.

The Housing Minister Chris Bishop today said that as part of last year’s Budget, the Government invested $140 million into 1500 new social homes to be delivered by community housing providers between June 2025 and June 2027.

“Hawke’s Bay has been chosen as a priority location for a pilot community-led approach to social housing delivery due to the high level of need, with disproportionate numbers of people in emergency and temporary housing and on the social housing waitlist,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Social Developments Housing Register, as of March 31 this year, 534 applicants were waiting for social housing in Hastings and 477 in Napier.

The minister said the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has worked with community housing providers, iwi, local government and other community groups to agree to a community-led approach to delivering up to 150 social homes region-wide.

“Hawke’s Bay, especially after Cyclone Gabrielle, presents both a significant need for social housing, and a unique opportunity for government and local groups to work differently together to deliver social homes.”

Today Bishop met with representatives from the Hawke’s Bay Matariki Housing Leadership Group, who he said are “taking the lead in the Hawke’s Bay community-led delivery approach”.

“I endorsed the group’s efforts to bring together many different parts of the community, alongside HUD, to deliver 150 social homes in the region. The Government is looking forward to working collaboratively with them to get these homes built.”

Bishop said to make the contracting process more efficient, the Government is delivering many of the 1500 social homes across New Zealand through strategic partnership agreements with community housing providers. Hawke’s Bay’s strategic partner Emerge Aotearoa Housing Trust is already committed to delivering 24 homes in the district.

“Our Government is committed to delivering social homes in the communities that need them most, alongside the organisations who know the communities best, using community housing providers who have a track record of delivery,” Bishop said.

Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd said there is a significant pipeline of housing being built in Flaxmere and it is good to see a mix of social housing and affordable homes for those wanting to purchase a home, too.

“It is certainly Flaxmere’s time and I am excited to see it flourish,” she said.

“There is also an explosion of development happening with a supermarket, senior housing, other developments and now a pipeline of social housing.

“Flaxmere is an example of the progress we can make if we take a community-led delivery approach, and work with community organisations to understand the greatest need to achieve the best outcomes.”

Bishop also announced the priority locations for social housing delivery for the five strategic partners announced by the Government in April.

“These locations are Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Porirua, Nelson/Tasman and Rotorua,” he said.

“They have been identified based on social housing need and emergency housing use in each area, along with housing market performance and CHP capacity and capability to deliver.

“I look forward to seeing construction of these social homes under way.”