Block contestants face ‘competition’ from Housing NZ
CONTESTANTS on The Block NZ are used to hard yakka in a bid to come out on top in building battles against each other – but this year the profit from their handiwork will also be compared to a more experienced developer.
Housing New Zealand’s developer HLC is building directly across the road from the show’s Potter Ave properties in Northcote on Auckland’s North Shore, and at least one neighbour prefers the style of the state house development.
Unlike previous years, where pairs renovated existing structures, four new two-storey townhouses are being built for the 2017 The Block NZ.
Yesterday, the structures were under tents – presumable to stop Auckland’s wet weather from affecting progress – but a person involved with the site, who did not want to be named, said contestants were expected tomorrow to start filming.
The four-unit development, confirmed by Potter Ave resident Mike Hartshorne as being for The Block NZ, is directly opposite a four-unit HLC development which is part of the Auckland Housing Programme.
And the show’s profit margins from renovations will be easily graded against the Auckland state development, which involves transforming 300 existing Housing NZ properties into 1200 homes. A third of these will be social houses, a third affordable (less than $650,000) and one third sold at market rates.
In stage one, 20 existing homes are being replaced with 59 new homes, said Patrick Dougherty, general manager of asset development at Housing NZ. These homes are expected to be ready in October this year.
On Potter Ave, the HLC development is much more inkeeping with the current houses than the large development for The Block, despite both fitting four units onto one site, Hartshorne said.
‘‘HLC is opposite. Surprisingly, they’re doing a good job. In the future, it will be a good story, what they’re doing versus private development,’’ he said.
Hartshorne feared The Block development would overshadow neighbouring properties, making them want to move out and sell to developers, having a dominoeffect on the street. ‘‘If you had that built next to you, you would want to get out.’’
He admitted he was not a fan of The Block TV series adding that traffic, increased by The Block, was already causing problems.
MediaWorks, which runs The Block on Three, was unavailable for comment.