Rotorua homeless crisis: Kāinga Ora celebrates three new homes for local families

Opening of 3 new Kainga Ora homes on May Rd

Three Rotorua families get to move into new public housing this week - making a small dent in the number of homes needed to ease the city's housing crisis.

Kāinga Ora held a blessing ceremony at May Rd yesterday morning to officially celebrate the new houses.

The three two-bedroom homes replace a former three-bedroom Kāinga Ora home on the property.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said at the celebration she was glad to hear the three homes were going to Rotorua families as this was something she was insisting the Government should be doing.

Kāinga Ora principal adviser Nelson Meha (left) with Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick at the opening of three new public housing homes on May Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner

"That's a big shout-out and what we really need. I want to focus on getting decent homes for our people who through no fault of their own have ended up being homeless and displaced."

As the housing crisis had grown in recent years, it had been previously reported that experts predicted Rotorua needed an additional 6000 homes (not just public homes) within the next decade.

"I remember two years ago coming out to look at the beginning of this build and we didn't realise then that we needed 6000 homes," Chadwick said.

"These are homes. We don't want to house people, we want to give people a home."

Chadwick said the days of one home being on a quarter-acre section were gone but despite that, the new properties had a good amount of space between them.

"People will be decently housed in high-spec homes."

She said there was a long way to go to get more homes.

"In three months I stand down as the mayor but I hope I am coming to more of these in the future. We have got to build, build, build our way out of this crisis."

St Michael's Catholic School pupils singing at the opening of new Kāinga Ora homes on May Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner

Pupils from nearby St Michael's Catholic School sang a waiata at the celebration and helped Kāinga Ora representatives plant fruit trees in the gardens.

Chadwick told the children it would be great if they could welcome the new children, if they attended their school, to the neighbourhood with open arms.

"I know you will awhi (support) them and make them feel welcome."

Penny Homes project manager Luke Dickinson said his Taupō-based building company used mainly Rotorua contractors to build the properties, which took seven months since civil work started.

Neighbours and community stakeholders were invited to the celebration and those there had an opportunity to look through one of the homes.

The homes have an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, double-glazed windows, fenced sections, a garden shed and disability access.

Some of the children from St Michael's were impressed with the homes, with one saying: "This is flasher than my house".

St Michael's Catholic School pupils (from left) Shana Gounder, 9, Zoe Cooper, 10, and Khloey Benham, 9, assisted by Nick Seymour from Kāinga Ora. Photo / Andrew Warner

Kāinga Ora regional director Darren Toy said the three homes are the first of 37 new homes being built on 11 existing Kāinga Ora sites in Rotorua.

Eight more of those homes were expected to be completed this month – five on Tania Cres, two at Toru St and one at Malfroy Rd.

They make up about 260 public homes under construction or being planned in Rotorua. Others include 37 homes at stage one of the Ranolf St and Malfroy Rd development and a further 24 in planning for stage two of that development.

There will be 42 new homes at Quartz Ave (formerly Collie Dr) and the resource consent for those had been lodged with the Rotorua Lakes Council. The first of these homes was expected to be completed at the end of this year.

Mayor Steve Chadwick at the opening of three new Kāinga Ora homes on May Rd, in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

There will be 24 apartments built on Pukuatua St at the site that was formerly the English Language School.

Toy said the other homes that made up the 260 planned homes were in the early stages of planning or feasibility and it was not in a position to share more details just yet.

It is current Government policy that new public homes be given to those most in need, although local factors such as schools and work would be considered.

This meant it wasn't guaranteed that Rotorua people would be first in line for homes built in Rotorua.

Housing Minister Megan Woods had previously told the Rotorua Daily Post she was reviewing the policy as part of a nationwide look at how emergency housing was being delivered.

The Rotorua Daily Post asked Woods again yesterday if there had been any urgent moves to change the policy, given that more public homes were starting to be available in Rotorua.

A spokeswoman from her office said there was nothing further to add at this stage as policy advice was still underway.