‘Recipe for disaster’: Neighbours upset at Huxley Road Kainga Ora housing development

A group of Huxley Rd residents, led by Lisa Christensen (front left), are protesting about a Kāinga Ora development on their street. The residents fear Kāinga Ora are trying to cram too many houses on the property.

A group of Gisborne residents protesting about a new Kāinga Ora development on their street say it’s bad news for neighbours and those who will call the place home.

But Kāinga Ora is calling for open-mindedness to the new homes, and saying the development easily met its resource consent requirements.

The Huxley Rd address in question was previously home to a P-contaminated single-storey Kāinga Ora house, which made headlines in July 2022 when a desperate family moved in.

That house was bulldozed earlier in the year to make way for what will soon be three two-storey homes on a 923 square metre section.

Construction is expected to start later this year on the project Kāinga Ora describes as “an asset to the Kaiti community”.

But some neighbours aren’t convinced.

Nearby resident Lisa Christensen has mobilised a group opposed to the build, citing privacy, cramped living conditions and a lack of consultation as the main concerns.

A letter expressing that view was sent to Kāinga Ora on May 8, and included the names of people living at nine separate addresses.

“We just don’t think it’s a long-term solution, to crowd big families into small homes on small sections,” Christensen told Local Democracy Reporting.

“That’s not going to solve the housing crisis, to have overcrowded families who get hoha with each other because they’re packed in too tightly. Because their vehicles are blocking access. Because there’s nowhere for their kids to play.

“That’s a recipe for disaster if you ask me.”

Christensen’s letter stressed the group were “wholeheartedly” in support of housing whānau in need, and was aware of the current housing crisis.

But they believed both the number and size of the dwellings would mean a lack of space, increased noise, loss of natural light and further strain to the street’s already-compromised drainage network.

The group was also upset at Kāinga Ora’s lack of consultation, with Christensen saying the first communication they received regarding the build was that it was scheduled to go ahead.

They hoped the project would be scaled back to meet the needs of both those who already called the place home, as well as new neighbours.

“None of us feel it’s a good solution for those families. We want them to be set up to thrive, not struggle.”

Kāinga Ora east North Island regional director Naomi Whitewood said she was aware neighbours of the development had concerns, and staff had met with them to hear feedback.

Issues of light, privacy, noise, vehicle movement and drainage had been addressed as part of the design process, and by the council as part of the resource consent process, she said.

“It is important to remember that Kāinga Ora has a clear mandate from the Government to deliver more homes.

“Tonight there are whānau in Gisborne who are living in cars, sheds and severely overcrowded homes.”

Kāinga Ora had a responsibility to make the best use of land it already owned, she said.

“I understand that three homes on one large site is a change for those of us who grew up in a three-bedroom home on a quarter acre section. We cannot keep spreading out; we need to think about building upwards.

A brochure sent out to neighbours said construction would begin in June or July, and end in mid-2024.

Construction was now expected to begin later in the year.

Whitewood said the next step for her organisation was to secure a build partner now that consent had been granted.