Housing Minister Chris Bishop says the Housing Investment Plan is a “data-driven, needs-based” approach to social housing and affordable rentals. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Housing Minister Chris Bishop says the Housing Investment Plan is a “data-driven, needs-based” approach to social housing and affordable rentals. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Government says the Far North will be among the biggest winners in its new Housing Investment Plan.
But critics argue the strategy leaves glaring gaps for Northland communities still waiting on cancelled Kāinga Ora projects.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced the plan on Friday, describing it as a“data-driven, needs-based” approach to social housing and affordable rentals.
From July 2027, the current “patchwork of programmes”, Bishop said, will be replaced by a single contestable Flexible Fund, backed by $41 million in operating funding over four years and $250m in capital funding over 10 years.
The fund is expected to deliver 675-770 homes nationwide, with the Far North allocated 120-130 new builds. Analysis of census data identified other high-need areas as South Auckland, Eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Hastings.
Bishop said the plan prioritises whānau Māori, single parents with dependent children, older people, people with disabilities and Pacific people in South Auckland.
“Our new approach will ensure we build the right houses; in the right place, for the right people with the right support.”
Affordable rentals have been added to bridge the gap between social housing and the private market, reducing what Bishop calls “perverse incentives” that trap people in dependency.
“Providers will know what we intend to purchase and where, and communities will be able to see what investment is achieving.”
Whangārei-based Green Party list MP Hūhana Lyndon welcomed the assurance of 120 new homes for the Far North but questioned whether that was enough and whether other parts of Te Tai Tokerau would miss out.
“Every house is great, we’ll take it. But we still have unmet needs in terms of Kāinga Ora,” Lyndon said.
Parts of Thomas St, Tikipunga, the vibrant community Hūhana Lyndon recalls from her childhood, now stand empty after former tenants of state houses there were told they were being temporarily moved for improved housing. It didn't go ahead. Photo / Supplied
“There’s no new money to finish what they started. They’ve emptied houses and knocked them down with no plan to rebuild. Now we have empty lots across communities.”
The proposed developments would have created at least 450 new state homes in central Whangārei, Ruakākā, Dargaville and the Far North.
She questioned the Government’s definition of “Far North” and whether the allocation covers the wider region.
“Ultimately, should this not go hand in hand with completing the Kāinga Ora homes that have already been cancelled?”
Kainga Ora's largest development in Northland at 95-home Kauika Rd, Whangarei, is almost complete, but 40 other projects planned for the region have been canned. Photo / Denise Piper
The application process for the Flexible Fund opens in February 2026, with homes expected to be tenanted between mid-2027 and late 2029.
There are 19,000 applicants on the Housing Register, Lyndon noting that as of June this year, 1011-plus of them were from Northland.
“But word from community groups and housing providers points to numbers that are much higher, perhaps around three times the official figure,” Lyndon claimed.
“How will we be resourced to address the clear and evident need in our community?”
Lyndon said there were 2000 Kāinga Ora homes sitting empty nationwide.
“Budget 2025 promised up to 900 homes through the flexible funding model. Today that number has dropped to at best 770 – a pitiful response when homelessness is at record levels and emergency housing has been cut back,” he said.
McAnulty contrasted the Government’s delivery of 136 homes in two years with Labour’s 5299 homes in the two years prior, calling the Housing Investment Plan “nothing more than a rebrand – underfunded and underdelivering”.
“It’s also a kick in the guts for a struggling building sector as the introduction of leases from the private market shows a lack of emphasis on new builds.”
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.
