The new Kāinga Ora social housing development on Montgomery Crescent in Hamilton. Photo / Malisha Kumar
The new Kāinga Ora social housing development on Montgomery Crescent in Hamilton. Photo / Malisha Kumar
Kāinga Ora is set to deliver 582 new homes in Waikato this year, with 520 of them in Hamilton City.
Three hundred and fifteen homes have already been built, with construction on several developments in Hamilton completed this month. Another 516 homes are due for completion by June 30 next year.
Other developments were expected to be completed by now, but Kāinga Ora home and communities regional director for Waikato Mark Rawson told Waikato Herald that issues arose during construction. Those include three unfinished developments, totalling 26 homes.
“Our build partners working on these homes encountered some unexpected ground conditions, which have impacted their delivery timeframes.
This site on Rawlings Street and Pine Avenue, Hamilton, was expected to be completed in the first half of 2024. It will now be completed in October this year. Photo / Malisha Kumar
Those developments included five new homes on Bader Street, 13 on Rawlings Street and Pine Avenue, and eight on Rawlings Street and Willis Street in Hamilton.
This month, construction finished on five new homes on Montogomery Crescent, eight on Perry Place and Bader Street, 10 on Rawlings Street, and eight on Slim Street and Montgomery Crescent, and those were now ready for tenants.
Nine of the 13 upcoming homes from the Rawlings and Pine Avenue project were designed for inter-generational living, featuring ground-floor bedrooms and toilets to help elderly family members age in place without navigating stairs.
“We expect these homes will meet a definite need in Hamilton, where more than 40% of our homes have a main tenant who is 55 years or older,” Rawson said.
Rawson said Kāinga Ora worked closely with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to match people eligible for social housing with the new homes they’re delivering.
“When a Kāinga Ora home becomes available, MSD provides [us] with the details of applicants from the Housing Register whose housing and location needs match the property.
“[We] then assess this information alongside any additional information gathered through conversations with applicants, to select the individual or whānau best suited to the particular home and community.”
Rawson said Kāinga Ora had been building new social housing at pace in Hamilton City and the Waikato region, in line with the Public Housing Plan.
“We have 516 houses either currently under construction or contracted for delivery by 30 June 2025.
“We are working our way through decisions about future social housing development in the region for projects not already contracted or under construction, to ensure the best value for money and alignment with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development priority locations.
“As decisions are made, we will keep the community informed.”
At present, there are more than 25,000 people and families on the MSD housing register in New Zealand.
The five new Kāinga Ora homes on Montgomery Crescent in Hamilton are in the process of being tenanted. Photo / Malisha Kumar
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
