15 September 2022
Kent Shoebridge
[FYI request #20212 email]
Dear Kent
Thank you for your email of 12 August 2022, to Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities,
requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
1. all documents, emails and communications related to land purchases by Kainga Ora
in Whangarei district since the 1st January 2016 that is planned to be used to build
social housing, and
2. all communications, reports, emails, documents, related to current and future plans
for social housing developments in Whangarei district,
a) including areas looking to be developed in and
b) potential numbers of dwellings in each location
On 24 August 2022, you refined your original request to the following:
1. Can you please supply plans, maps and/or lists of all properties purchased in the last
12 months or
2. already held by Kāinga Ora or another government department or local authority that
is being considered for development into social housing with 4 or more dwellings
grouped together on one or more properties within the next 5 years within the
Whangarei district excluding bream bay or north of Kamo
3. Copies of any new build building consents for social housing which have been
submitted within the last two years within the whangarei district excluding Bream Bay
or north of Kamo
In response to
part one of your request, please refer to the table below of all Kāinga Ora
land purchases from 1 September 2021 to 20 August 2022:
Table 1: Kāinga Ora land purchases
Type
Address
Suburb
Land
Ross Street
Onerahi
Land
Griffin Street
Kamo
Land
Paramount Parade
Tikipunga
Land
King Street
Kensington
Furthermore, the table below il ustrates all Kāinga Ora homes purchases in Whangarei
District from 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022. These purchases are specifically for public
housing:
Table 2: Kāinga Ora homes purchases
Type
Suburb
Number
of homes
Home
Kamo East
4
Home
Marsden Point-Ruakaka
1
Home
Regent
1
Home
Sherwood Rise
2
Home
Tikipunga West
4
Home
Whangarei Central
1
Home
Whau Valley
1
In response to
part two of your request, as of 1 September 2022, our records show the
following list of properties currently owned by Kāinga Ora that are being considered for
potential redevelopment to deliver 4 or more homes. Please note that
Table 3 may include
properties (land and homes) which are part of
Tables 1 and
2 above.
Table 3: Homes currently owned by Kāinga Ora
Suburb
No. of projects
Number of homes
(Gross)
Morningside
3
4
Onerahi
8
62
Avenues
6
75
Kamo
2
18
Kensington
10
63
Otangarei
1
24
Regent
1
33
Tikipunga
21
234
Whau Valley
8
47
While Kāinga Ora currently owns these properties and is considering these sites for future
development over the next 2-4 years, we are unable to confirm if all these development
opportunities wil proceed. We are therefore unable to provide you with plans for these
development opportunities as final decisions are yet to be made.
Kāinga Ora secures additional homes through:
1. redevelopments, where new homes are built on Kāinga Ora land, usually replacing
an older home with more new warm and dry homes.
2. acquiring new homes, as a new build that has not been previously occupied, from a
builder or developer.
3. acquiring existing homes, usually on the open market.
4. homes leased from private or corporate owners.
Kāinga Ora prefers to deliver new homes through redevelopment of new housing on land it
owns, reducing old and dated housing and providing new warm and dry homes.
The priority of Kāinga Ora is to house people in need, and buying new build homes or buy-
ins provides additional homes where need cannot be met through redevelopment.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes information on newly built
homes monthly at
: https://www.hud.govt.nz/stats-and-insight/the-government-housing-
dashboard/change-in-public-homes/.
In response to
part three of your request, we are unable to provide you with copies of
building consents, which were submitted in the last two years within the Whangarei district.
Building consents form a large volume of documents that are logged for each building rather
than the entire project. This would result into hundreds of building consents. Therefore, we
are refusing information to this part of your request pursuant to section 18(f) of the Act, as
the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or
research.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this response
to your request. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by calling 0800 802 602.
Kāinga Ora proactively releases its responses to official information request where possible,
and our response to your request may be published at
www.kaingaora.govt.nz/publications/official-information-requests/ with your personal
information removed.
Yours sincerely
James Kennelly
Team Leader Government Relations