New social housing planned for Woodville

Nine homes are planned for Woodville, but there may be more to come for the district. Photo / Warren Buckland

Nine new houses planned by Kāinga Ora for Woodville is a "great start", according to Tararua District Council Mayor Tracey Collis.

Housing Minister Megan Woods announced on Monday that new public housing would be built in Woodville, as well as in the Wairarapa.

Kainga Ora purchased three small sites in Woodville and plans to build a mix of homes for individuals, couples and smaller families.

The new development will be the first time the Government-owned housing entity had a presence in the district in 23 years.

Tracey Collis, along with other mayors in the Wairarapa electorate, had identified a need for housing and put the pressure on.

Collis said all the mayors of the Wairarapa electorate had identified a need for housing some years ago, and began to put pressure on.

"Because Kāinga Ora had no presence whatsoever, nobody ever put their name down on the housing register because there were no houses. There was no point to it."

The lack of a Kāinga Ora presence in the district after the housing stock was sold off in 1999 was "disgraceful", Collis said.

"It felt like we were abandoned."

She said pressure had been put on the Government through the combined efforts of the local mayors and Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty in a mammoth effort to get Kāinga Ora back.

"We've all been behind this."

Kieran McAnulty: Bringing Kāinga Ora back to the district was his number one priority. Photo / Mark Mitchell

McAnulty said it had been his number one priority, and a promise he'd made to the district when he'd campaigned for the seat at the last election.

"I was determined this was going to happen.

"I'm just so pleased, so happy that this has now been confirmed. It's genuinely going to be a game-changer for our district."

McAnulty said he'd looked at smaller regions that still had need, but to a lesser extent than what Tararua district needed - but because Kāinga Ora already had a presence in those regions, it was much easier.

"It was very clear to me that the solution was to bring Kāinga Ora back. And having that confirmed was for me incredibly satisfying on a personal level."

McAnulty said he'd worked closely with the mayor to get a clear and accurate measure of the need, then worked together with the council and local iwi to put a call out for any spare block of land that could be used for social housing.

He said he'd written to Horizons Regional Council, which told him they did have land in Woodville.

"Initially they said no but we kept at it, and they changed their mind, and it's just fantastic. That's a real community-led approach."

Greg Groufsky, Regional Director of Kāinga Ora with Mayor Tracey Collis, Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty, and Councillor Peter Johns on a site in Woodville. Photo / Supplied

McAnulty said the new development was a "win-win" for the whole community, as the public housing would free up the private rental market for those trying to attract professionals to the region, but who were struggling to find housing.

The development in Woodville was not the only plan afoot, and further announcements would be expected over the coming months.

If anyone had any land that could be subdivided, or knew of some land that could be developed, both the council and Kāinga Ora would be keen to talk to them.