Empty Kāinga Ora houses in Whanganui are scheduled for improvements

Old state-owned Whanganui houses in Akatea St were demolished to make way for smaller new homes for tenants in 2019. Photo / Bevan Conley

While Whanganui has a list of over 350 families waiting for state housing, there are 18 state houses in the district sitting empty.

Kāinga Ora, the government agency that provides rental housing for New Zealanders in need, has listed two of the properties as, under repair, nine as undergoing renewal and maintenance, and seven are in the decision pending category.

Kāinga Ora regional director Graeme Broderick said there are different reasons for properties being held vacant between tenancies.

"Like any landlord, at any point in time, Kāinga Ora has some properties that are vacant while one tenancy ends and another begins," he said.

"We aim to get homes ready to move into as quickly as possible, and when a tenancy ends, we inspect the home to make sure it is in good condition and carry out any work needed before a new tenant can move in."

Broderick said homes that are under the pending decision category are vacant while the best course of action for the home and land is decided.

"Possible reasons for this could be due to something like the home is vacant due to fire damage, and we are working to see if its more cost-effective to repair the home, or potentially demolish it and see what are our possible redevelopment opportunities for the land."

In that situation the land could be used to have more homes built on it, he said.

"Those homes that are undergoing maintenance are ones that are likely to need general repairs between tenancies. Our maintenance partners make necessary repairs, and ensure the homes meet the Healthy Homes Standard."

Broderick said the renewal category indicated significant upgrades to the existing home, rather than the more standard issues that are classified as maintenance.

"In all of our pieces of work, while a home is vacant, we aim to get our homes ready to move into as quickly as possible," he said.

There are 580 state houses in Whanganui including 41new builds since 2018.