1 October 2025
HUD2025-008004
Jack Jones
[FYI request #32204 email]
Tēnā koe Jack
On 4 September 2025 Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
(the Ministry) received your request for the following information under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act):
I refer to your response to my previous OIA request - your reference HUD2025-006863.
Under the Official Information Request I would like an update to that request and all parts of
it. I note that you refused any part that is subject to Ministerial advise or commercial
negotiations.
HUD2025-006863 request:
1. Could you please provide an update to the information provided in your response and in
particular the tables that were included in Annex One (of the previous OIA response
HUD2024-005776) […]
2. Could you also please provide an update on:
a. any further BRD underwrites that have been exercised by the respective developers,
b. the number of homes acquired,
c. and the cost to the Crown to purchase the homes, as well as
d. information relating to the on-selling of any of those acquired homes,
e. and the sales price obtained.]
I therefore add to this request the following:
1. How many of the homes that have been bought by the Crown as a result of underwrites
being used by the builders have been sold either on the private market or to CHPs or other
housing providers?
2. How many of those homes in 1. above are stil under Crown ownership and for how
long?
3. Advise provided to the Minister of Housing on what HUD is doing to sell those homes?
4. What the annual costs for the Crown to own those homes that are not sold is?
In addition I would request:
1. I note in a reply to an OIA request to Kainga Ora that the management of the functions of
the KiwiBuild programme have now been transferred to HUD - could you please advise how
many staff that worked in the KiwiBuild programme have transferred to HUD? Note in this
question I would like to know how many of the total staff that worked in the KiwiBuild
programme at Kainga Ora are now employed by HUD.
2. In relation to this question, how many, if any, of those staff that moved from Kainga Ora
to HUD received redundancy payments before transferring to HUD?
On 9 September, Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities transferred the following request to us:
1. How many homes did the Crown purchase between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 as a
result of KiwiBuild underwrites being used by developers?
2. What was the cost to the Crown of purchasing those homes?
3. How many homes of those homes were on-sold before the transfer of responsibility to
HUD?
4. What was the cost to the Crown in owning those homes (I refer to ongoing costs once
the homes had been purchased)?
5. Noting that Bayleys were undertaking a marketing campaign to sell those homes, how
many were sold through that campaign?
7. I request a summary of any offers that were received for the sale of those homes - noting
I do not require the bidders to be identified.
Updated response
You asked for an update to the tables and information on Build-Ready Developments provided to
you in response HUD2025-006863.
The updated tables are attached as
Annex 1.
In regards to the cost and sales price of the homes, we are refusing this part of your request under
section 9(2)(j) of the Act on the grounds to enable a Minister of the Crown or any public service
agency or organisation holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage,
negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations).
The Ministry is in active negotiation with suitable parties (housing providers including community
housing providers, iwi, private market purchasers, etc) to dispose of the all the properties acquired
via the Build-Ready Development Pathway and recoup the Crown’s investment.
First set of additional questions
No homes bought by the Crown as a result of underwrites being used by the builders have been
sold either on the private market or to CHPs or other housing providers.
I have provided a table of homes under Crown ownership and the length they have been held for at
Annex 2. Advice provided to the Minister of Housing about what the Ministry is doing to sell those homes is
refused under section 9(2)(j) of the Act on the grounds to enable a Minister of the Crown or any
public service agency or organisation holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or
disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations).
Costs incurred to hold those homes that are not sold are contained at
Annex 3. Note those are the
total holding costs attributable to maintenance of homes in the pool owned by the Crown by year,
noting that homes wil have come into the pool as underwrites are triggered and out of the pool as
homes are sold.
These costs cover all of the activities associated with the management of the pool of homes
including property management fees, onboarding & offboarding of property management,
maintenance, insurance, body corporate levies, valuation services, rates, marketing spend, pre-
settlement inspections and utilities charges.
2
Second set of additional questions
On 1 July 2025, the KiwiBuild Programme transitioned from Kāinga Ora to the Ministry and was
integrated into its Delivery group's operating model and structure. The Ministry was unable to offer
affected Kāinga Ora staff a role on comparable terms and conditions and no staff were transferred
from Kāinga Ora.
The Ministry had four fixed-term roles and two permanent roles available that potentially matched
the skil s and experience of Kāinga Ora employees who worked on the KiwiBuild Programme.
These roles were advertised internal y, and Kāinga Ora employees were also invited to apply at
this time. Fol owing the Ministry’s standard recruitment and selection process, five Kāinga Ora
employees accepted offers of employment for these roles, on the Ministry’s standard terms and
conditions of employment. Additionally, one other former Kāinga Ora employee accepted fixed
term employment to October 2025 to support transition of the Kiwibuild programme.
Regarding part 2, the Ministry does not hold employment information on Kāinga Ora employees. I
understand you have already asked Kāinga Ora for this information. You wil hear directly from
them.
KiwiBuild questions from Kāinga Ora
In relation to the questions transferred from Kāinga Ora to us relating to Crown ownership resulting
from triggered underwrites:
The Crown purchased 95 homes between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 as a result of KiwiBuild
underwrites being used by developers. The cost to the Crown of this collective purchase was
$52,022,187 (plus GST, if any).
None of those homes were on-sold before the transfer of responsibility to the Ministry.
We are unable to answer parts 4 and 7 because our records of holding costs relate to a broader
portfolio of homes owned by the Crown and we cannot readily separate out costs those relating to
ones held under KiwiBuild.
No homes were sold during the marketing campaign undertaken by Bayleys.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of my response by the Ombudsman, in
accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The relevant details can be found on the Ombudsman’s
website at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. As part of our ongoing commitment to openness and transparency, the Ministry proactively
releases information and documents that may be of interest to the public. As such, this response,
with your personal details removed, may be published on our website.
Nāku noa, nā
Fiona Coughlan
Manager, Development Tools
Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
3
Annex 1 – Updated tables from HUD2025-006863
4
Annex 2 – Homes under Crown ownership
Homes under
Length of
Address
Crown
ownership
ownership
Salisbury Street, Levin
-
-
Awamutu Grove, Lower Hutt
11
11 months
Ceta Bowater Place, Manurewa
-
-
Galbraith Street, Ngāruawāhia
-
-
Maraekakaho Road, Hastings
-
-
Hayes Avenue, Tauranga
-
-
Wel esley Road, Napier
30
3 months
Utauta Street, Waikanae
35
9 months
Cambridge Road, Te Awamutu
-
-
Total
76
5
Annex 3 – Holding Costs
Period
Amount
23-24
$ 10,302.51
24-25
$ 165,880.19
25-26
$ 91,639.19
Grand Total
$ 267,821.89
6
