Election 2023: New Napier homes come with solar power systems

Ngati Kahungunu iwi chairman Bayden Barber takes his hat off to Minister of Housing Megan Woods at the 24-home Seddon Cr, Napier, site on Wednesday. Photo / Paul Taylor

A 24-home complex billed as the largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been has been completed with innovative shared solar-heating technology.

The homes, in Seddon Cr, Marewa, a short distance across the Chambers St Reserve from Napier Boys’ High School, were completed during the winter, ahead of a visit on Wednesday afternoon by Minister of Housing Megan Woods.

She says whanau living in the homes will, as well as having warmer homes, enjoy lower power bills, saving $400 to $700 a year per household across the development.

“Each of the first 16 homes completed have been fitted with individual solar systems,” Woods said. The other eight homes that were completed this month will feature technology which means electricity generated by solar panels across the complex is taken and shared among the eight homes.”

It is just the second public housing complex in New Zealand to be completed using the technology, the first having been opened in Christchurch in July.

Both were funded through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy fund.

At the end of June, 687 people were still on the housing register awaiting accommodation in Napier, with interest now in the next quarterly statistics to the end of September.

Woods said the current Government has delivered over 150 new homes in Napier including 25 transitional homes across three locations, with almost 400 “in the pipeline”.

She said that throughout New Zealand, over 13,000 more public homes had been provided and development is “on track” to deliver 21,000 public and transitional homes by 2025.

The 24 homes in Seddon Cr, including two-storey structures and on land for many years by single-level state housing, include six four-bedroom and two three-bedroom houses with the other homes comprising one and two-bedroom duplex homes.