At least 120 homes being built by Kāinga Ora in Hastings won't be completed until next year due to construction constrains such as supply and labour shortages. Photo / Warren Buckland
At least 120 homes being built by Kāinga Ora in Hastings won't be completed until next year due to construction constrains such as supply and labour shortages. Photo / Warren Buckland
Many Hastings families are facing another Christmas in motels and emergency accommodation, as construction constraints delay work on dozens of homes being built by Kāinga Ora.
Naomi Whitewood, of Kāinga Ora, confirmed 120 homes under staged-construction were due to be completed by early to mid next year.
Eighty of thesehomes are on track, but about 40 homes at Kauri Pl, in Hastings, which were hoped to be completed by the end of 2021, have been delayed.
This includes one-bedroom single-storey units and six-bedroom two-storey units, designed to meet the various housing demands.
"We're now looking at early to mid 2022," Whitewood said.
"Alongside our partners we're working as hard we can to deliver more urgently needed warm, dry and healthy homes."
However, Covid-19 had seriously impacted global manufacturing and supply chains, contributing to congestion at ports a global container shortage, she said.
"This has been compounded by a local boom in construction activity increasing demand across the country.
t was hoped work on Kāinga Ora's 40 home development on Kauri Pl, in Hastings, would be completed by the end of 2021 but it is now looking closer to early to mid 2022. Photo / Warren Buckland
"The programme for delivery in Hastings has started to see some impacts as a result of delays to receipt of materials such as weatherboard, electrical services cable and lighting accessories."
Whitewood said this was being managed closely to minimise possible impacts on other sites, including supporting construction partners with early materials procurement.
"Kāinga Ora is committed to working with our supply chain partners to ensure we forecast demand as far in advance as possible to support supply chain resilience and continuity of supply of materials and products.
"Our advice to our build partners is to forward plan and place orders for any materials required well in advance as lead times have extended and delays do occur."
Kāinga Ora would also work with suppliers to substitute alternate products if supply timelines have been impacted, she said.
Kāinga Ora has built nearly 80 homes across Hastings since 2019, and plans to deliver 240 homes by 2024. Photo / Warren Buckland
Under the Public Housing Plan, around 240 homes are hoped to be delivered in Hastings by 2024.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said her council was "the first in the country" to adopt a collaborative and multi-agency approach to develop a plan for the housing crisis.
"Our goal is to have all families out of motels and living in their own homes, and the sooner that can be achieved the better.
"People who are living in motels, especially those who have been there for a long time, need to know that there is a solution coming."
The council was trying to free up land for additional housing and working alongside developers to facilitate market-led residential developments across the district.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst wants families living in motels to know help is on the way, with "activity happening in the district the likes of which we haven't seen before". Photo / NZME
She pointed to four areas of council land in Flaxmere being developed for more than 160 homes.
"We are putting a focus on enabling inner-city conversions to residential to both provide for the need and protect our growing soils.
"There is activity happening in our district at the moment the likes of which we haven't seen before as we all work to bring a variety of houses to the market as soon as possible."
Hastings District Council is currently calling for expressions of interest from developers to bring much-needed homes to market in Flaxmere.
To date, 470 residential lots are in the process or have been consented, developed or are underway.
Kāinga Ora has delivered nearly 80 homes across Hastings since 2019, including 13 new homes which families are now moving into.
As of March 2021, Napier (750) led the way with the highest number of people on the Housing Register in Hawke's Bay, followed by Hastings (714), Wairoa (84) and Central Hawke's Bay (63).
