Member Jasmine Taankink said they have major concerns over what the regeneration will mean for the community of Porirua East.
A map of the Porirua development plans / Supplied: Porirua Development
They sent a letter to Twyford this week outlining the concerns, including the lack of prior consultation with the community regarding what kind of housing is needed.
"There was no consultation with the community including tenants prior to the base plan, a plan that doesn't reflect the needs of the community, a plan that could lead to the displacement of whānau some of whom are mana whenua, some of whom have lived here for five generations and contributed significantly to the economic and social growth of Porirua,
"Public land will be privatised during this process, meaning it can never again be used for state housing. While the ballot for the Kiwibuilds is a nice gesture it is meaningless if the Kiwibuilds are out of the price range of the local community."
The group believed the 150 extra states houses in the 25-year plan was "clearly insufficient".
The latest Public Housing Quarterly Report for March 2019 from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said there were currently 247 applicants on the Housing Register.
The letter said the lack of engagement was continuing to be a concern as the plan progressed.
"Housing New Zealand and HLC have continually chosen to privilege the desires and views of stakeholders instead of the state tenants and the wider community."
Taankink said they understood there was going to be more engagement soon, with a Regeneration Committee/Community Accountability Group being set up.
"There needs to be more engagement, more representation and there should've been community engagement prior to the base plan being made."
The predominantly State housing suburb of Cannons Creek in Eastern Porirua / Mark Mitchell
Member Jane Shaw said she would be going to a Porirua City Council city direction committee meeting on Thursday to call for a public hui.
"It's a brilliant idea and we're looking forward to it because we've been waiting for 40 years for this to occur, there's no problems with the support the Government wants to put across.
"It's how do we all work together on this, there's a lot of opportunity for employment, design, elderly - the lot."
Twyford said the project was in its "very early" planning stages.
"There will be many opportunities for everyone in the community to have their say. A full engagement process is about to begin which will ask the local community about their needs and incorporate their feedback into the development of a comprehensive plan to guide the entire project."
He said there would be more state homes than there was now, and the Government has no plans to sell them off to community housing providers.
"All current state housing tenants will be rehoused as part of the redevelopment as long as they continue to be eligible for public housing support,
"The numbers of market and affordable homes will be determined after community consultation, master-planning and a further feasibility study. The regeneration board is tasked with having a strong focus on community voices and making sure the community is kept central to the project."
