Final stage of the Far North’s biggest community housing development opens

Labour MP Peeni Henare (left), Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi chief executive Tia Ashby, Green MP Hūhana Lyndon, Far North Holdings chief executive Andy Nock, and Kāinga Ora Northland director Jeff Murray pictured at Te Kohekohe in May. Photo / RNZ

By Peter de Graaf, RNZ

The final stage of the Far North’s biggest community housing development opened at dawn on Monday, providing 60 homes in an area where accommodation is in desperately short supply.

Te Kohekohe is the brainchild of Māori health provider Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi, which will also offer tenants wrap-around health and social services, while council-owned company Far North Holdings secured the consents and managed the project.

Built in three stages on Kaikohe’s former RSA site, it is believed to be the first housing complex in the country built and co-owned by an iwi and a council organisation.

Tenants moved into the first 10 homes in October; the final 13 homes being blessed on Monday morning are a mix of two and three-bedroom units in a pair of two-storey blocks.

Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi chief executive Tia Ashby said Te Kohekohe was the fulfilment of a long-held dream. She said the organisation had expanded from health services to providing community housing when it became clear the people they were treating kept falling ill because they were being sent to cold, damp and overcrowded homes.

Some did not have even that, and were living in cars or on couches.

“We had children coming into the clinic with respiratory conditions such as asthma or infectious diseases caused by household overcrowding, like rheumatic fever,” Ashby said.

“You can’t just keep on chucking an asthma inhaler at a child. You need to treat the root cause, which is the environment they’re living in, because some of these children were going back to cold, damp, mouldy homes … That’s the key reason we got into the housing space. Instead of being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, we’re thinking about prevention and supporting whānau to become more resilient to these diseases.”

Te Kohekohe was also the realisation of a housing strategy developed by a group of kuia and kaumātua many years ago.

“Everything that we’re achieving was part of their vision back then,” she said.

The existing 100-plus tenants were “a real mix” of solo mums with children, families, single people, and — in the ground-floor units, with support from on-site kaimahi (staff) — kuia and kaumātua with disabilities.

Prospective tenants were income-tested and could apply themselves or be referred by MSD. Rents were below market rate and set according to income.

Applicants went through an individual needs assessment to make sure their situation and future housing aspirations were understood.

Ashby said completing Te Kohekohe required overcoming cost escalations, storms, supply chain problems and the Covid pandemic.

Isaiah Apiata blessing one of the units at the Kaikohe housing complex Te Kohekohe. Photo / RNZ

“We’ve had so many challenges over the past few years, there were some doubts. So it’s a huge relief we’ve overcome these challenges together and been able to place whānau into safe, warm, dry homes. It definitely takes a village to achieve a milestone like this and we’re truly grateful for the partnership with Far North Holdings and the council, and happy with the outcome.”

Ashby said the complex would not only improve health and educational achievement, but would bring economic benefits and strengthen community bonds as more families settled into permanent homes.

Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi was also planning to build 90 owner-occupied homes in Bisset Rd in Kaikohe, aimed at working families locked out of the housing market by unaffordable prices.

Ashby said a resource consent application had been lodged and the project was “looking promising”.

The organisation also ran transitional housing for men released from prison, and emergency housing for women and children left homeless by domestic violence.