Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities

We've made changes to the way we’re managing our tenancies and responding to disruptive behaviour.   Our approach is about being fair but firm and making more effective use of the Residential Tenancies Act to drive behaviour change and provide a clear deterrent for disruptive behaviour.    We have already started using the tools available under the Residential Tenancies Act earlier and more frequently – and this will continue.   The changes we are making are focused on addressing serious disruptive behaviour – they won’t impact on the majority of our customers who already do the right thing, are responsible tenants, and treat their neighbours with respect.  Read more about this new approach at https://bit.ly/3zPEyIt

Aotearoa recently observed the rising of Matariki, a cluster of stars closely linked to the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar), signifying the closing of the previous year and the welcoming of the new 🎊 Across Tāmakai Makaurau we celebrated with our communities through a variety of Matariki themed activities, here's a handful of them: 🧩 We began our Matariki celebrations through the principle of ‘tuku atu, tuku mai’ (to contribute and receive) with the customers from the Kevale elderly complex. Coming together to share kai with homemade soup and for tenants who are bedridden, our team delivered the kai to their doors. They also came together to do some colouring and puzzles, with Irene looking very proud of her completed jigsaw. 🔦 In the Northcote community, the celebrations began with an early morning Pōwhiri at Te Kamaka Marae. The celebrations continued with a free ‘glow in the dark’ treasure hunt competition which had stars with special messages revealed by UV light torches. 🪁 The residents of Te Mātawai celebrated Tupuānuku through some kai from a community garden in Parnell. They were also encouraged to remember loved ones and take part in a hautapu, a ceremony feeding the stars with a sacred offering. Nearby, a kite day was attended by hundreds at Puketāpapa while the residents of the New Windsor Community Hub also enjoyed some kite flying alongside a sausage sizzle and some Kapa haka to welcome in the Māori new year.

Four new homes for Greymouth! We will soon welcome residents into the two-bedroom homes on Hall Street in Cobden 🏡 The homes were built offsite in Westport before being transported to Cobden to replace two older homes that were previously on the site. Read how we've got the homes ready for people to move in https://bit.ly/3XYzLPi

Nine new homes in Timaru are ready to welcome tenants and keep them warm for less money thanks to solar panels ♨️ The completion of our latest project on Tyne and Essex Streets welcomes nine new homes equipped with rooftop solar panels that will help lower our customers’ power bills and drive down the cost of heating the homes during a South Canterbury winter ❄️ It's great to see construction completed. See more about these homes at https://bit.ly/3WdVdOM

“I don’t know if I’d have made all these changes if I didn’t have this house and the tenancy manager I do. I’ve been able to create a life for my children that I could only have dreamed of.” Ruby says she has turned her life around in the past five years since she moved from emergency housing into her Kāinga Ora home with her now 10-year-old and 17-year-old sons. Earlier this year the Christchurch mum began volunteering at a local school assisting with the Garden to Table programme. This has now led to a permanent part time role helping to run the programme at the school where she’s also set up a new health and wellness programme. She’s also about to begin weekend shifts at a security company, thanks in part to her two years of voluntary community patrol work, which supports Police to keep the area safe. See what other ambitions Ruby has since returning to education in her 40s https://bit.ly/3L7mXOV

Read the latest updates and milestones for our projects and programmes that have been a focus in the industry: 💡 Some award-winning Kāinga Ora developments 🏗️ How we are co-designing a new process of materials supply and logistics on our construction sites 🏡 How our Northcote Large-Scale Project celebrated a major urban development milestone 🏙️ Hear about the thousands of homes we have delivered this year, including key projects. The Development & Construction Matters newsletter highlights some of the great mahi we have been doing with the help of our urban development and construction partners, subscribe to receive it every quarter at https://lnkd.in/gVKv4jbj

Twenty-two new homes and some on site education ✏️ We recently completed 22 new homes in Avonside, Christchurch and invited some students from local Whītau School to come along to see the new homes and get a fun lesson in site safety - including a go on a digger! Older Whītau School students were able to attend a 'construction careers' chat and hear from a panel of people, including some that worked on the new homes, about what they do in their construction jobs and what a career in construction can look like 🔨

Ashburton has nine new homes ready for residents to move in soon 🏡 The new development on Willow Street is the largest in Ashburton to date and includes three one-bedroom homes, five two-bedroom homes and one three-bedroom home. Four of the homes have full universal design features, which means they are suitable for people living with accessibility needs. Read more at https://bit.ly/45MDX6q

Three new homes built in less than two months ⌛ This latest construction milestone was recently achieved through our Housing Delivery System (HDS), with the support of our build partner Jennian Homes. The HDS, which we developed with the construction sector, is a way of planning and building quality social housing more efficiently. The standalone, one-bedroom homes in Christchurch were built in just 47 days, which includes foundations, civil works and construction. These three new houses replace one of our older homes that was no longer fit for purpose, as part of our approach to redevelop and make better use of existing sites. Our team worked closely with Jennian Homes throughout the build, applying key insights from previous HDS projects to drive continuous improvement and achieve further efficiencies. Allan Westbrook, a Director at Jennian Homes, says: “The new way of working is getting increased buy in from our trades and partners and we are so excited to continue breaking new ground with Kāinga Ora”. Check out some of our recent delivery highlights at https://bit.ly/3zpSx7N

Each Canterbury Anniversary weekend, Dave and his team at BGIS New Zealand, one of our contractors, gather at Dave’s home workshop to make toys from recycled wood 🎠 The brightly coloured toys are crafted to make Christmas special for a child in need. Dave the self-professed 'Magpie' who collects second hand tools, has also donated tools to our customers so they can fix their own bicycles or skateboards. Dave gives back in so many other ways in his spare time from his busy job, see how at https://bit.ly/3zc5F08