Housing project risks falling short of target
Developers behind a large housing development in the east Auckland suburb of Tamaki risk falling behind deadline if the pace of building doesn’t pick up.
New figures revealed 213 houses, 2.84 per cent of 7500 homes to be built in the next 10 to 15 years as part of the Tamaki Regeneration project, have been built to date.
Over the next year the Tamaki Regeneration Company (TRC) chief executive John Holyoake said it planned to deliver between 320 and 400 new social, affordable and private market houses in the area in the next 12 months.
“TRC has been ramping up its build programme since taking over the ownership and management of the social houses in Tamaki in April 2016.”
If it continued at the more optimistic rate of 400 houses a year for the next 15 years this would see an additional 6000 built, which even with the 213 already built would still be short of the target 7500.
In early 2016 TRC, a joint government and Auckland-council owned entity, took ownership of the 2800 state houses from Housing New Zealand.
It planned to demolish 2500 of these former state homes across Glen Innes, Panmure and Point England and build 7500 new homes within 10 to 15 years.
The regeneration programme would see a net addition of 5000 “affordable” and market-priced homes, while the number of social houses would stand at 2800.
At least 1000 (20 per cent) of these houses would be sold at “affordable” prices of $650,000 or less.
The project has been met with some criticism by those with longtime connections to the area including long-time social activist Penny Bright.
She has been one of the staunch supporters of a long-time Tamaki state housing tenant currently fighting the TRC to stay in her home of 21 years.
Ioela (Niki) Ana Rauti has been locked in a battle to keep her house — one of those which the TRC has pinpointed to be replaced as part of the development project.
Despite offers of alternative houses nearby, Rauti has refused to leave and is expected to continue her fight in the High Court at Auckland on Thursday.
Bright lodged the OIA with the regeneration company on the project’s progress to date, which she released to the Herald and in a video shared on social media.
In the video Bright was critical of the development’s plans and labelled it a “gentrification project”.
Figures in the OIA revealed that 77 former state houses had been demolished since March 2016 with two others relocated in November 2016 — all for redevelopment purposes. Of the 213 built, as of August 2017, more than half were to be sold on the private market.
Ninety-two were new social houses, 39 were “affordable” homes and 82 new private market houses.
TRC said in the OIA it was working with the community developers to ensure the affordable homes were made available for first-home buyers.
Due to commercial sensitivities the TRC was unable to say how much it had received to date through the sale of land and properties.
The TRC said its project was not just about building houses, but about “social transformation, economic development, placemaking and housing resources”.