Nearly 300 houses will be developed over the next five years as part of the Kōtuitui Place development. This project is being driven by Ākitai Waiohua and the Puhinui partnership of the New Zealand Housing Foundation, Te Tumu Kāinga and CORT Community Housing, along with Auckland Council’s agency Panuku.
CEO Scott Figenshow says CHA, as the representative body for New Zealand’s community housing providers, is pleased the partnership model is being used again. However, he says it is vital more partnership developments are created within a much quicker timeframe.
“Where the real energy needs to go is in ensuring that the next one gets started in six months, not the six years it has taken to get this development across the line. While the parties have shown huge tenacity and determination to finally reach this milestone, we would much rather see these groups being allowed to focus that energy towards delivering 25 more similar scale developments.”
He says the partnership will see the Kōtuitui Place development providing a mixed tenure of high quality community homes offering a range of different dwellings, from one bedroom apartments to four bedroom houses.
“This will replicate the success of the Waimahia Inlet development, meaning that we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel for this success.”
He says it is an opportunity to deliver affordable rentals, social housing, and progressive homeownership (rent-to-buy and shared equity) alongside full market housing.
“What we achieve here is a development directly addressing the affordability challenges of many Aucklanders and have been designed to work for lower income households. This is only possible through the tried and tested solutions delivered by our experienced community housing sector providers.”
The community housing sector in Auckland has already demonstrated its ability to lead the development of successful mixed tenure communities, he says. Across New Zealand the sector has already helped thousands of New Zealanders into safe, secure, affordable homes that they rent or own.
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