Flaxmere: $7m Pasifika prefab housing project to get under way on church land

Artist image of what the housing could look like when completed. Photo / Supplied

A unique prefabricated housing project to support the Pasifika community will see 12 new social houses built on church-owned land in Flaxmere.

The homes will be prefabricated in Hutt Valley then assembled on site at 80 Caernarvon Drive in Flaxmere, Hastings.

The half-acre site is owned by the Methodist Church of NZ Hastings Samoan Parish which wants to help address the ongoing housing crisis in the region.

The project will also involve Wesley Community Action - which will oversee the project - and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Work is set to begin on the $7 million project following a ground-breaking ceremony on September 17.

The project will see six homes constructed with four bedrooms, and another six homes constructed with three bedrooms.

The homes will be made available to people on the public housing waiting list, also known as the Housing Register, with a particular focus on Pasifika aiga (families).

The homes will be built on a half-acre piece of land owned by the church. Photo / Supplied

"It really is a case of all hands on deck to help meet this rapidly growing need and we're proud to be able to play our part," Wesley Community Action director David Hanna said.

"We know how important good housing is for people's wellbeing and we have seen how it can change people's lives – often within weeks."

There is a chronic need for more public housing in Hastings and the wider Hawke's Bay.

In March, there were 804 applicants on the Housing Register within the Hastings district alone.

That register is for people who have been deemed eligible and in need of social housing, but are on a wait list as there are no homes available.

The new housing project will be known as Punavaiola and the estimated completion date is late 2023.

Hastings Samoan Parish minister Rev Iakopo Faafuata said they previously bought the land with the intention of expanding the mission of the church to the wider community.

"We're very happy that this land will be used as a 'spring of living water' of God's love to people who need help because of rising house prices and the increasing cost of living."

The homes will be prefabricated at EasyBuild's factory in Upper Hutt and sent by container to Hawke's Bay to be assembled onsite.