Residents Call On Kāinga Ora Not To Sell Off Public Housing Days Before Election

Nuku Street, one of the cancelled Kāinga Ora developments, is being sold off on the private market by Bayleys, with a deadline sale ending days before the election. Strathmore Housing Action, a neighbourhood group who supports public housing, is calling on Kāinga Ora to stop the sale of Nuku Street which could provide decent homes to families in the area.

Recently, the Government announced that the Ngatiapa Street development, also in Strathmore, would go ahead after being cancelled and the existing units sitting empty for several years. The development was announced, however, with 12 fewer homes than were originally planned.

“There are families, our neighbours, who really need decent homes right now, and we are seeing state housing being sold off and not built at a scale to meet the need in our community,” says Lizzie Pringle of Strathmore Housing Action.

“With an election just weeks away that could dramatically change the government plans for public housing and Kāinga Ora’s mandate, it’s irresponsible and frankly strange for the agency to be proceeding with a controversial sale. We urge Kāinga Ora to press pause on this deadline sale and at least wait to see who the next Minister of Housing will be.”

Strathmore Housing Action supported the Right of First Refusal process, giving iwi and hapū the chance to buy the land first, allowing land to be returned to mana whenua. However, that process has now concluded and the homes are being sold off on the private market - and the group is calling on Kāinga Ora to halt the sale.

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“There’s over 600 households on the social housing waitlist for Wellington, but there are many more families experiencing housing stress. While some public housing developments have gone ahead, public housing is being sold off at a time when we need it the most,” says Pringle.

Bayleys, who is a major donor to the National party, were recently revealed to have made $2.5 million in profits from the sell off of state housing. Last year, communities in West Auckland protested the sell off of land designated for state housing in New Lynn that Bayleys were selling on the private market.

“When we sell state housing to private developers, they will build homes our communities cannot afford,” says Pringle. “Instead, we call on Kāinga Ora CE Tracey Taylor to stop this sale, so that the incoming government can consider building homes on this site.”

Nuku Street is one of many state housing developments that were cancelled, paused or downsized in Wellington. Pōneke Public Housing Futures has been running a petition to keep building these homes and will be joining with Strathmore Housing Action in support.

Strathmore Housing Action are holding a public meeting on Saturday 10 October, 2-3pm at Kahurangi School, Strathmore where candidates from Labour, National, Greens, NZ First and Opportunity will speak about their plans for state housing in the area.

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