Northland state housing construction gets off the ground

Local tradespeople are being utilised on the largest state housing development in Kaitaia in several decades. Photo / Myjanne Jensen

Construction has begun on the largest state housing development in Kaitaia in several decades as part of Kāinga Ora's plans to build more than 140 houses in Northland over the next 15 months.

The 4890 sq m site on Jamieson Rd in Kaitaia will provide 13 new, warm and dry homes, and Kāinga Ora has partnered with Māori-owned company Far North Roading Group, which is using local labour on site.

The development will be completed in two stages between late 2022 and early 2023, it will provide homes for small and medium-sized families and range from two-bedroom duplexes to four-bedroom standalone homes.

Kāinga Ora regional director in Northland Jeff Murray said six of the new homes would be fully universal designs that were more liveable for young and growing families, people with temporary injury or illness, those with mobility, visual or cognitive impairments, and older people.

All five of the Kāinga Ora homes previously located on Jamieson Rd, he said, would be used by Te Rarawa Iwi Housing to provide housing for its whanau. Te Rawara has also been invited to name a new road to be built as part of the development.

He said the development, at a cost of $6.1 million, would also include a new wetland that would serve as a method to enhance the stormwater management on the site and provided a shared space for the benefit of residents.

More than 140 state houses will be built across Northland over the next 15 months. Photo / Myjanne Jensen

Murray said a rapid increase in people on the housing register in the past five years necessitated the need for affordable housing in the region.

"There's been a five-fold increase in the waiting list for state homes in Whangārei and the Far North since 2017, and a 12-fold increase in the Kaipara District.

There were 1104 people on the housing waiting register in Northland at the end of September last year. Of those, 645 were in Whangārei, 385 in the Far North district and 74 in Kaipara.

He said the highest demand was for one-to-two-bedroom properties, and while many families have children at home, around a quarter of customers were elderly people.

"We'll be focused on building homes in urban areas close to amenities such as schools, shops and hospitals, where people can live well. In the longer term, we are looking at building up, developing three-storey walk-up apartment blocks that allow for more shared space such as playgrounds and parks, while encouraging a sense of community," Murray said.

"Medium-scale density developments mean more people can live within walking or cycling distance to local businesses and shops, public transport and other amenities.

"An added benefit is greater community connection, with people seeing each other more often as they walk around the neighbourhood."

In Kaikohe, Kāinga Ora is building several new homes with another Māori-owned business, Yakas Construction, which employs many rangatahi as apprentices and tradespeople.

One three-bedroom home on Windsor Rd will be complete in 2022. Five more homes ranging from two to five bedrooms are to be complete next year at a cost of $3m.

Tenants of the first lot of State houses on Puriri Park Rd will be ready to move in this winter. Photo / Tania Whyte

In Whangārei, tenants will be ready to move into the first homes on Puriri Park Rd this winter.

The development will also include the first community room in a Kāinga Ora complex in Northland, complete with kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Whangārei hapū Te Parawhau has named the new road that links the new community "Ara Tapatahi". Ara means roadway, while 'Tapa - tahi' means gather together, and is taken from the celebrated waiata 'Tutira mai nga Iwi' (Line up together, people) written by Canon Wi Huata in 1950, and which has been taught to primary school children since then.

Kāinga Ora was given the green light by independent commissioners to build 15 one-bedroom duplexes, four two-bedroom duplexes, one three-bedroom standalone house, six three-bedroom duplexes, eight four-bedroom duplexes and three five-bedroom standalone homes on Puriri Park Rd, despite opposition from people in the area.

Murray said Kāinga Ora was working with local businesses to grow its apprenticeship programme and to engage high school trade academies, such as the one at Dargaville High School, to continue to provide new state houses.

He said there was a particular focus on working in partnership with others, especially Māori organisations and iwi landowners, to enable Māori housing aspirations to come to fruition.

"We are focused on building warm, dry homes to Homestar 6 standard and employing local people, including Māori businesses, to build them."