The official blessing and naming of Waka Ama Street means work will now get underway on eighteen new homes in Niger Development, part of the large-scale Porirua Development.

Local iwi blessed the newly completed Waka Ama Street, Cannons Creek at a well-attended community event on Saturday 25 March, enabling construction to begin on 18 new warm, dry, healthy homes in the area.

The name Waka Ama was gifted by Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and kaumatua Taku Parai says it is steeped in the history and traditions of waka sailing and voyaging.

“Waka Ama is not just a sport but also a vehicle for identity, pride and community, and we’re pleased to see the local community represented in this way,” he said.

Mayor Anita Baker joined Ngāti Toa and Kāinga Ora representatives to welcome dozens of residents, community stakeholders, iwi and project partners to the celebration, which was followed by kai and kōrero.

Porirua Development Project Director Will Pennington says the street naming is an exciting milestone, celebrating both the importance of local identify and a much-needed housing boost to the area.

“One of the ways Kāinga Ora is increasing the number of homes in Porirua is by replacing older homes that are no longer fit-for-purpose with more warm and dry homes on the same site.

“These 18 new homes will be a mix of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom homes. Six of these homes will also have accessible features, including four homes built to full universal design standard to cater for disabled customers,” he said.

“They will also be fully insulated and have double glazing, which means they will provide safe, warm and dry places for whānau to call home.”

Construction starts on site this month with completion expected around mid-2024.