Coronavirus Covid-19: update on our development

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We're investing in Porirua

Better homes. Great neighbourhoods.

Porirua is growing. In the next 30 years there could be 29,000 more people living in our city. We will need up to 11,000 more good quality, warm, dry, secure homes to support the growing community.

In November 2018 the Government announced a $1.5 billion investment over the next 25 years to work with the community on revitalising eastern Porirua.

We're partnering with Porirua City Council to deliver the work in eastern Porirua. We are also partnering with Ngāti Toa Rangatira to improve public housing in western Porirua.

In eastern Porirua the plan is to:

  • replace older state homes that are past their best with warm, dry modern homes that are better suited to tenants' needs
  • create opportunities for home ownership by building affordable homes and housing for sale on the open market
  • design better neighbourhoods, including improving parks and streets, to make them safer, easier to get around and do business in.
Latest news

Keen to keep up with progress on the Porirua Development? Follow us on Facebook @PoriruaDevelopment. You can read, watch and download the latest news, hot off the press below. View All

Covid 19 update

The impact of COVID-19 is top of mind for everyone, and people's health and wellbeing is our priority.

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Bothamley Park Community Clean-up

We’ve made the decision to postpone the Bothamley Park Community Clean-up

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E-news, Issue 5 2020

Read issue 5 of our e-newsletter – with a construction update for Champion St and Castor Cres, Change is Coming session overviews, Bothamley Park Community Clean-up and more...

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What will the project achieve?

Warm, dry, safer homes About 2,000 state houses made warmer, drier and safer. About 2,000 affordable and market homes. 150 additional state houses in Porirua. Great neighbourhoods We will look at all aspects of how neighbourhoods can be improved to make it easier for people to come together, to get around and do business. Resilient communities The project will help to improve the wellbeing of eastern Porirua residents, including creating new employment opportunities for local people and businesses.

Get involved

We’ve been talking with residents of eastern Porirua, to listen and understand their views about what they value and like about their neighbourhoods and what could change with the opportunities that the redevelopment will bring. The topics for discussion have included housing, getting around the area, the environment, parks and open spaces, shopping and town centres, community facilities and services, and accessibility. We will incorporate this feedback when we prepare a comprehensive plan to guide the project. The feedback for the first four Share Your Voice sessions is in our Latest News section. Change is Coming – let's plan the future sessions ran throughout November and December. We'll be publishing what people said in the Latest News section. Bothamley Park Community Clean-up is happening on Saturday 28 March from 1–4pm. Come along and help us give this much-loved community space a spruce up. We’ll provide rubbish bags, gloves for the clean-up and some kai to share. Nau mai, haere mai.

Which areas are included in the development?

The development covers Rānui, Cannons Creek, Waitangirua and Ascot Park in eastern Porirua The partnership with Ngāti Toa in the west will improve state housing in Titahi Bay, Mana and Tawa.

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When will we start to see something happen?

We have started working on upgrading state housing in Castor Crescent and Champion Street in Cannons Creek. All of this work was already planned. Construction of homes for the development of eastern Porirua is due to start in 2020/2021.

What's happening now?

June to December 2019 – we have been engaging with the people of eastern Porirua so we can understand community views before we prepare a comprehensive plan for the project.

January 2020 – design consultants will be out in eastern Porirua doing site analysis.

Early-mid 2020 – we begin the first neighbourhood planning process with the community.

Early-mid 2020 – we complete the ‘high level’ planning process for eastern Porirua.

Mid-2020 – the first state housing tenants move into their new homes.

2020–2021 – all state housing tenants involved in the first stage of redevelopment move house. Construction of new homes gets started.

How will Porirua benefit?

In eastern Porirua, there will be a greater choice of high-quality housing, including warm and dry houses for Housing New Zealand tenants, that better fit their needs. State housing will be mixed with affordable and market housing, creating greater affordable home ownership options for those who want to buy their own home. This will include KiwiBuild homes. New homes will bring new people to the area to invest in and contribute to the community, and the work will help create jobs for locals. The streets, parks and public open spaces will be upgraded, to make it easier for people to come together, to get around and to do business.

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Existing homes in Eastern Porirua
For tenants

I'm a state housing tenant You will continue to be housed and will continue to receive the help and support you currently receive. Choice to return Kāinga Ora requires state housing tenants to relocate while we work to replace existing state housing stock with new warm, dry, healthy homes. Relocating can be disruptive and a common concern for our tenants is the prospect of moving to a new neighbourhood, away from their community, their schools and their work. At the heart of everything we do are the people living in eastern Porirua. That’s why Kāinga Ora implements a ‘Choice to Return’ policy for our state housing tenants. This means that if a tenant is relocated as part of our development work and would like to be rehoused in their current community, Kāinga Ora will try to make this happen. What other factors does Kāinga Ora consider when rehousing tenants? Kāinga Ora works closely with state housing tenants to find a home suited to their needs and abilities. This includes taking into consideration mobility issues, proximity to local and tertiary education facilities, and access to jobs and medical services. What if Kāinga Ora can’t find a suitable home in the tenant’s community of choice? If we cannot find a suitable home within the community straight away, Kāinga Ora relocates tenants into a temporary home while we continue our search. Tenants will receive progress updates from Kāinga Ora every six months until we find them a permanent home suited to their needs. Do tenants get to accept or decline a property? As with any rehousing initiative, tenants are given the chance to view and accept a property before committing to a permanent residency. Who does the policy apply to? The Choice to Return is open to all tenants rehoused due to redevelopment of their home. Tenants moved for other reasons, such as a house fire, historic moves for antisocial behaviour, or at their own request, are exempt. Got questions? If you are a Kāinga Ora tenant and you have questions relating to the development, please contact your Tenancy Liaison Officer. For general questions regarding your tenancy, contact Kāinga Ora customer service on 0800 801 601. What about private tenants? While we cannot guarantee the decisions private landlords make, we will try to make sure local people have access to training and employment opportunities so they share in the benefits of social and economic development as part of this project. We will explore a wide range of affordable housing options and also alternative housing ownership options – such as shared equity and long-term rentals – to get the best outcomes for local people and the communities of eastern Porirua.

What will the homes be like?

There will be house types for all kinds of families. They will range from one-bedroom to five-bedroom family homes and will include terraced and free-standing housing, as well as apartments.They will include small, low maintenance units for elderly people and accessibility needs will also be taken into account. We will be talking with the community to get cultural design input and cater for a range of family sizes, styles and needs and will build fit-for-purpose homes. The designs will be energy efficient and meet the Homestar 6 rating, and other house types will meet the Kāinga Ora design guidelines that feature sustainability criteria.

Who is doing the work?

As of 1 October, Housing New Zealand, HLC and KiwiBuild have come together to form Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities. It brings a more cohesive, joined-up approach to supporting the Government’s priorities for housing and urban development in New Zealand, by contributing to thriving communities that provide people with good quality, affordable housing choices and offer good access to jobs, amenities and services. Kāinga Ora has two key roles: being a world-class public housing landlord and working in partnership to enable, facilitate and build urban development projects of all sizes. We look after several projects and will be working with transport agencies, education providers and the community to get the best outcomes for each community. In Porirua, Kāinga Ora is working with Porirua City Council, local iwi Ngāti Toa and the community to deliver change that will be benefit generations to come.

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Hobsonville Point
Who else is involved?

The Crown has overall responsibility for the project. The project is a partnership between Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. A Regeneration Board is being set up to hold the vision and aspirations of the project and will hold the partners accountable. As well as HLC and Housing New Zealand (which are both now part of Kāinga Ora), the following government agencies and organisations worked with Ngāti Toa and the Porirua City Council on the initial scoping work required getting government approval for this project: Treasury, Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Ministry of Social Development, and the Ministry of Education.