Kāinga Ora community engagement and partnerships manager Renee Regal (right) with housing support manager Broughton Tupare in Dannevirke, promoting their message. Photo / Dave Murdoch
Kāinga Ora community engagement and partnerships manager Renee Regal (right) with housing support manager Broughton Tupare in Dannevirke, promoting their message. Photo / Dave Murdoch
Kāinga Ora is planning to deliver more homes in the Tararua District.
Representatives of the Government organisation, which provides public housing for about 185,000 New Zealanders in 72,000 properties across the country, visited the district last week to acquaint locals with its services.
In a press release, Kāinga Ora acting regional director for Taranaki/Whanganui/Manawatū, Keith Hilson, says people were invited to come along to meet and greet sessions in Dannevirke, Woodville and Pahīatua.
“We wanted people to have an opportunity to learn more about who we are, what we are doing and how we are working to get good outcomes for our customers and for the communities they live in,” he says.
“Our customers are individuals and families who have struggled to afford private rentals and are on the Ministry of Social Development’s [MSD] Housing Register. Children make up a high proportion of the people living in our homes.
“A Kāinga Ora home means childhoods are not spent moving from one property and school to another. It means an end to homelessness and overcrowded accommodation. It means support, security, access to jobs and improved wellbeing. Having a stable home is important to all aspects of a person’s life – from education and employment to physical and mental health.”
Hilson says Kāinga Ora has a mandate from the Government to increase housing supply throughout the country, including affordable and public housing to meet the growing demand from people in need of homes.
“Between November 2017 to July 2023, we have worked with our build and design partners to deliver over 13,000 new public and supported homes throughout New Zealand.”
Two new warm and dry homes were delivered in Dannevirke in August, and the provider was also looking at a site in Woodville to build new homes.
“There are currently 39 families and individuals on the MSD Housing Register in the Tararua District, but that is probably just the tip of the iceberg,” Hilson says.
Rangitane Whanau Ora representatives Leah Jones and Kathy Mihaere talk housing with Renee Regal. Photo / Dave Murdoch
“Discussions with iwi partners, Tararua District Council and other social agencies all point to there being more demand than indicated, with some people not aware of the MSD public housing registration process.
“In addition, we provided those looking to purchase a home with information on our home ownership products.”
The team spoke with a wide range of locals, as well as local iwi, at the sessions.
Kāinga Ora community engagement and partnerships manager Renee Regal says the response was very rewarding, and not only was her team able to spread the word about its role in getting locals into housing to suit their needs, but it also showed how they can obtain ways of keeping existing ones warmer, drier and healthier.
Her team was pleased to get feedback about the dire housing situation, proving that Kāinga Ora’s knowledge was just the tip of the iceberg.
Melodie Grace, Sharon Harrison-Mason and Pare Kino pose with Kāinga Ora's Rebecca Kinloch. Photo / Dave Murdoch
Kathy Mihaere, speaking for Rangitane, quoted examples of severe overcrowding (21 people in one house) and substandard conditions, elsewhere while Sharon Harrison-Mason, for Kahungunu, highlighted the anomaly of having single pensioners living in large houses while big families struggle to live in small houses because they are cheaper.
Both added what they had found out about tapping into MSD services would be actioned immediately.
Dave Murdoch is a part-time photojournalist working for the Bush Telegraph and based at Dannevirke. He has covered any community story conveying good news about the district for the last 10 years.
