State housing agency Kāinga Ora has asked for two prime Whangārei CBD sites so it can build high-rise apartments.
The Crown agency presented to Whangārei District Council on Tuesday, the first meeting since Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities was formed in 2019, replacing Housing NZ and KiwiBuild.
Chief executive Andrew McKenzie and Northland director Jeff Murray outlined its Te Tai Tokerau Regional Plan, including building 235 homes in the next three years.
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Kāinga Ora’s proposal involves buying this Vinery Lane carpark off Whangārei District Council and developing it into high-rise state apartments.
To help achieve that goal, Kāinga Ora would like to buy two council-owned sites for apartment developments: The Vinery Lane carpark and an empty site at 10 Dent St, Murray said.
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The agency has not yet decided how the apartments will be used, but they are likely to be a mix of social housing and housing sold at market price.
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Kāinga Ora wants to build high-rise social housing apartments on this Dent St site in central Whangārei. The empty site, which used to be a childcare facility, was originally set aside for a hotel development.
Both sites are close to the Kamo shared path, walking distance to schools, support services and supermarkets, and close to jobs, he said.
“With car parking, one suggestion would be to reinvest in a car parking building elsewhere.”
The suggestion to buy the two prime sites garnered a range of reaction from elected members, from alarm to support.
Councillor Vince Cocurullo said the two sites are better suited to a commercial development than residential.
“How can you justify this when there are other areas around Northland actually needing housing,” he asked.
Councillor Phil Halse said the Vinery Lane car park is essential for the nearby court and court precinct, while the Dent St site is for a potential hotel.
Nearby government-owned land, including Rugby Park and University of Auckland land, would be more suitable, he said.
“I would hate to see our court operating without any parking on that site … I find it alarming that you’re looking at upsetting a whole lot of people.”
Denise Piper/Stuff
Kāinga Ora is building 37 new homes in the Whangārei suburb of Maunu, pictured, while 20 are planned to start soon in Kamo.
But councillor Ken Couper acknowledged the presentation is high-level at this stage, and the council needs to continue the conversation.
“We can’t deny that there’s a need for houses and, two, we can’t get upset if we have policies for increasing inner-city housing and then get upset when people come along and do it.”
Mayor Sheryl Mai said while car parking is an issue in the centre of Whangārei, homelessness is also an issue.
“I can’t bear the fact that there are people who are homeless now.”
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Whangārei mayor Sheryl Mai says homelessness is an issue in the district, with the community supporting the council to do more about the problem. (File photo)
Recent community feedback to the council’s Long Term Plan encouraged it to double its budget to build new pensioner housing, with $1 million a year budgeted over the next four years.
The council also added $150,000 to develop a housing strategy with support of the housing sector and central Government.
Kāinga Ora’s presentation detailed the huge need in the region, with Northland “missing” 4500 social and affordable houses.
“If house building had kept pace entirely with population growth in Northland, there would be an additional 4500 homes,” Murray said.
Of the 235 homes Kāinga Ora plans to build in Northland over the next three years, a third are planned for the Far North and two thirds for Whangārei, with none planned for Kaipara, he said.
“Obviously, there’s always going to be less than needed. We’ll continue to go in a larger scale and pace, where the infrastructure’s right.”
McKenzie said the agency also has a big backlog of homes needing extensive renovations or replacement, with most of its housing stock reaching the end of its life.
It plans to upgrade 140 of its Northland homes – just six per cent – by 2024 to make them warmer, drier and healthier.
As well as building apartments in central Whangārei, Kāinga Ora is also planning a significant redevelopment in the suburb of Otangarei, where it owns 250 houses.
The plan is to remove existing houses and replace them with multiple flats, Murray said.
State housing in Northland by the numbers
- 1002 families currently waiting for state housing (585 in Whangārei, 348 in Far North, 69 in Kaipara)
- 4500 social and affordable houses “missing” in Northland
- 235 homes to be built by Kāinga Ora in next three years
- 6600 people live in 2254 Kāinga Ora homes in Northland: 67 per cent are Māori and 48 per cent are single parents with children
- 140 Kāinga Ora homes retrofitted to be warmer, drier and healthier by 2024 (six per cent of Northland state houses).
CORRECTION: An original version of this story said the Whangārei CBD apartments would be for the homeless. This was incorrect, as Kāinga Ora has not decided how the apartments will be used. Updated at 4.57pm, July 21, 2021.
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