The new homes, at 3 Clark Rd, were opened in a ceremony with local hapū Ngāti Rēhia, which gifted the name Te Tira for the two-stage 22-home Clark Rd project. Representatives and leaders from Ngāti Rēhia were on site for the formal opening.
The new homes in stage one of the development were designed and built by Gemscott for Kāinga Ora with stage two, on neighbouring 5-7 Clark Rd, under construction with 14 homes.
Kāinga Ora Northland regional director Jeff Murray said the homes will help meet the demand for housing in the Far North, where almost 500 households are registered on the social housing waiting list.
Murray said in stage one of Te Tira all the two-level homes had two bedrooms, making them suitable for couples and small families.
They are warm, dry and energy efficient, having been built to Homestar 6 standards. Homestar is a holistic tool that awards points across various credits to rate a home’s performance and environmental impact. There are mandatory minimum requirements focused on keeping the home, warm, dry, well-ventilated, and operating efficiently.
The four ground-floor homes have enclosed outdoor patio areas, while the four upstairs homes have enclosed decks.
Stage two, which is already under construction, will have 14 new two and three-bedroom homes, and is due to be finished in the first half of 2025.
The site will include a shared outdoor space and children’s play area. A bike shed and carparking will be available for residents, with the development a two minute drive or five minute walk from central Kerikeri, and within walking distance of childcare and schools. Clark Rd is also about five minutes walk from Kerikeri Domain.
Leaders from the hapū of Ngāti Rēhia conducted a whakawātea (blessing ceremony) to open the new homes.
Kipa Munro, chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia, said housing in Kerikeri is out of reach for many.
Kipa Munro, chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia, has welcomed eight new Kāinga Ora homes in Kerikeri, saying housing in in the town is out of reach for many.
“The name Te Tira reflects the vision of the development, in that these homes are climate smart, secure and respectful. To be considered for one of the kāinga at Te Tira, whānau must be on the Ministry of Social Development’s Housing Register, so I encourage anyone who needs housing support to reach out to MSD to discuss whether they are eligible.”
Far North District Mayor/Kahika Moko Tepania, who spoke at the opening, welcomed the new social housing.
“Initial research for our Far North Housing Strategy has shown our region has the worst quality housing in the country and hundreds of families on the Housing Register. Te Tira is a welcome step in the right direction to address this, and I am stoked for the whānau who will move into these homes, which are close to all the amenities of our Kerikeri Town Centre,” Tepania said.
Murray said the new homes are built to high standard and feedback from locals was positive.
“Following the blessing we opened the homes and invited the community to come down and take a look for themselves. Over 100 Kerikeri locals looked through the homes and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Gemscott and their contractors are now hard at work on stage two of the development, which will deliver an additional 14 homes,” he said.
Research for the Far North Housing Strategy found that 15.5% of residents live in overcrowded conditions. The Far North population is projected to peak at 83,200 in 2049, but already 15.5% of the Far North population were living in overcrowded conditions. When it came to Māori, overcrowding in the Far North was at 27.6%.
In March last year there were 480 applicants on the Public Housing Register, compared to 90 in March 2018, and the situation has got worse since.
