Forestry company steps in to help
An organisation building affordable homes in the top of the south has received some help from a local forestry company.
Forestry company OneFortyOne will be sponsoring Habitat Nelson’s new community housing project in Stoke.
OneFortyOne is in charge of 80,000 hectares of forest in Nelson and Marlborough, as well as the Kaituna sawmill.
The housing project will see over 30 homes built by 2025, and will allow families to take part in Habitat for Humanity’s ‘‘homeownership model’’ that will see them pay rent until they can access third-party finance to buy the house.
OneFortyOne Kaituna Sawmill general manager Tracy Goss said the sponsorship worked well with OneFortyOne.
The company could provide timber for the new homes for their internal framing and outside fencing.
The wood was all provided by ITM and was grown in the Golden Downs Forest.
‘‘There’s a great connection knowing the trees grown to make the timber have been grown locally for the last 28 years in the Golden Downs Forest and can now be enjoyed by families for decades to come.’’
Habitat Nelson general manager Nick Clarke said the organisation was excited to be partnering with OneFortyOne, as it allowed them to access affordable materials through ITM.
Affordable housing was one of the region’s most pressing issues, and required collaboration between strong partners to fight. ‘‘Habitat Nelson has been supported by ITM for almost 30 years and were instrumental in instigating this partnership’’.
There were 14 homes currently being built in Stoke.
The houses being built would be ‘‘lifechanging’’ for families in need, and help them build self-worth, reliance and increase their hope for the future, Clarke said.
‘‘For many families in the Nelson Tasman region, decent and affordable housing is becoming difficult to find.
‘‘This is having a negative impact on the mental and emotional health and wellbeing of wha¯nau [families] and tamariki [children].’’