New public housing development in Whangārei will be largest in Northland

An artist's impression of what the Kauika Road social development will look like. Graphic / Supplied

A motel complex will be demolished to make way for 95 homes - the largest social housing development in Northland to date.

Housing Minister Megan Woods yesterday announced plans for the $73 million project on the present Casa Blanca site on Kauika Road, off Maunu Rd, featuring 89 three-level walk-up apartments, alongside six homes.

Motel buildings will be removed over the coming months, and civil works are expected to get under way shortly afterward. Construction is planned to start in the second half of next year.

“Whangārei has a rapidly growing population and limited housing supply, so this development helps address an urgent need for more public housing,” the minister said.

The Kauika Road project is part of a wider neighbourhood planning approach which aims to increase standalone public housing delivery in areas of high demand, like Tikipunga, Vinegar Hill and the Avenues, Woods said.

“Kauika Road’s central location makes it ideal for apartments. It will enable more people to live within close proximity of schools, jobs, facilities, parks and reserves.”

Casa Blanca Motel director Tel Hudson said closing the motel was bittersweet, but he was pleased the land would be used for public housing.

“I just basically thought, ‘They’re going to put 16 millionaires’ houses up’,” Hudson said.

“Now that I know the intention is for public housing here, I am much, much happier.

Hudson said the motel would continue to sell rooms until April 25.

Hudson said the need for more public housing in Whangārei was “absolutely urgent”.

Tel Hudson owns the Casa Blanca Motel, where new housing will be built. Photo / Tania Whyte.

The motel apartments have been used by different organisations in the past, such as Work and Income, to shelter people in need, Hudson said.

“Many times when [the organisations] appeared heartless, it was because they had literally nowhere to put the people.

“Our Winz guests were, in general, excellent people,” Hudson said.

The new social housing development will be delivered by Phoenix Property Advisery Group.

The development is on about 11,700 square metres overall, with a planned three-level walk-up apartment building containing 21 one-bedroom and 68 two-bedroom homes.

Plans also include three three-bedroom and three four-bedroom standalone houses. Fourteen ground-floor apartments will contain accessibility features to cater for people with mobility needs.

It will also include shared green space, bicycle and off-street car parking spaces, native plantings and a multi-purpose community room.

A Casa Blanca Motel employee, who the Advocate chose not to name, said news of the development almost brought her to tears because of her own experiences trying to find housing.

“I was struggling [to find housing] for ages.”

She said she didn’t qualify for help because she didn’t have dependents and was low down the priority list for social housing.

“What happened was, my bosses took me in. Otherwise, I was going to be sleeping in my car.

“That’s how I’ve been since I came to Whangārei,” she said.

She has changed her life around because she was able to gain work and a home, and is pleased more housing is becoming available for others who need it.

155 Whare Awhina chief executive Liz Cassidy-Nelson said while it was clear Northland needed more housing, she was disappointed by the apartments’ storey design.

“I do have long-term concerns about the three-level apartments in terms of the care - we just don’t want to be building a future Bronx,” Cassidy-Nelson said.

Liz Cassidy-Nelson says social housing that caters to young people's needs to be looked into in Whangārei. Photo / Tania Whyte

She said she favoured “inclusionary community” style solutions to homelessness and housing.

“We need housing, there is no doubt about it, but how we do it for the future of our community is really important.”

She was also concerned the needs of young people looking for housing had been overlooked.

“We’ve done specific youth research recently in Whangārei that shows that accommodation for that particular group has been ignored.

“Young people should be at the forefront of their thinking because they’re our future,” Cassidy-Nelson said.

The announcement follows civil works getting under way at the 55-home redevelopment of a former pub on Wanaka St in Tikipunga, as well as the 37-home development on Puriri Park Road in Maunu nearing completion.

The Kāinga Ora team has plans to hold community drop-in sessions about the Kauika Road development. The sessions will take place on April 4 and April 11, between 5.30pm and 7pm at Ngāti Hine Health Trust, 5 Walton Street, Whangārei.