$200m boost for new homes

Funding of just over $200 million for Porirua East’s pipes and roads will mean 2000 new homes can be built in an area where housing has been neglected.

‘‘Our investment ... is an investment in the future of eastern Porirua which will see more connected neighbourhoods, more affordable home ownership and economic growth,’’ Housing Minister Megan Woods said.

The money would come from the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund (HAF) and would improve flood defences and transport connections, Woods said. The funding would also go to upgrading the town centre.

‘‘Eastern Porirua has strong and vibrant communities but is in critical need of investment and regeneration.’’

Today’s funding announcement is in addition to the $136m that was allocated to the area in July last year, bringing the total amount to $340m.

The funding would also enable 744 new homes to be built on public land, replacing 186 Kaı¯nga Ora homes that were no longer fit for purpose and building 100 new public homes and up to 458 affordable and market homes.

The HAF, which was set up in March last year, finances infrastructure like roads, water and electricity to speed up residential developments. The earlier funding was for a new water reservoir at the end of Whitby’s Stemhead Lane and a stormwater project to cut the amount of raw sewage being discharged into local waterways and Te Awaruao-Porirua Harbour.

It also financed the work to replace and upgrade a 3km-long wastewater pipe in Bothamley Park that cannot handle the current volume of sewage.

That work would begin early next month, Woods also announced, saying it would ‘‘help improve the environment alongside enabling new housing to be built in eastern Porirua’’.

The new infrastructure investment was not only an opportunity to develop the community but it would also help restore the health of the harbour because waterways had been ‘‘degraded by the lack of investment’’, said Ngāti Toa chief executive Helmut Modlik.

‘‘We don’t just have new houses and new roads and pipes. We are looking to leverage that inbound investment to provide for new training, employment, enterprise formation and procurement opportunities, all aimed at local Porirua communities.’’

The Kenepuru Landing development had already also benefited from the HAF, getting a $6.1m boost last year to build twice as many houses as originally planned. The latest funding is part of a $1.5 billion, 25-year regeneration project, including redeveloping 2000 state houses in Porirua East and 900 state houses in western suburbs such as Tıtahi Bay.