HNZ builds continue, but demand growing

Housing New Zealand (HNZ) has opened its largest-ever Christchurch complex as it continues to build beyond pre-earthquake stock levels to meet growing demand.

Three tenants occupied the first stage of a 37-unit development in Eveleyn Couzins Ave, Richmond, on Friday. It will be full in about two weeks.

More than 6100 HNZ properties were damaged in the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes and 700 had to be demolished.

HNZ chief operating officer Paul Commons said the country’s largest landlord had between 200 and 300 more properties in Canterbury than it did before the earthquakes.

‘‘We build a lot of one and two bedroom units rather than big homes ... our demand today is for single adults and small families,’’ he said.

The need for social housing nationally continues to grow. Nearly

7900 people were waiting for a home in March, the most since at least June

2014.

Applicant numbers have grown each quarter since June 2015, shooting up more than 1700 in the three months to March.

‘‘Demand’s increasing, that’s why we’re still building. We’re going to carry on building,’’ Commons said.

Speaking at an opening ceremony for the units, Christchurch East MP Poto Williams praised the new build while acknowledging she had been hard on HNZ in the past.

In 2015, she called on HNZ to ‘‘admit it is at fault for delays to its building programme’’ and slammed it for building ‘‘just one house’’ in October.

‘‘I have tended to be a little bit critical because I’ve wanted Housing NZ to build homes for our families,’’ she said on Friday.

‘‘I want to congratulate them today because they’ve really lived up to the promises that they’ve [made] to our communities.’’

In an effort to meet its growing need, HNZ has a host of apartmentstyle builds either taking place or in planning stages.

A 30-unit complex in Worcester St was expected to be completed by late 2018. In Auckland, a 220-room building in pre-planning stages and an 82-unit complex under construction were two of 10 projects across the city.

HNZ has been criticised in the past for its higher-density complexes, which some critics believe drive up crime in surrounding areas.

In the six months to February, Phillipstown residents were dealing with burglaries, assaults and faeces being smeared on cars. Some linked the incidents to a state housing complex in England St.

At the time, a resident said efforts to have HNZ act on concerns largely went unanswered, while people with various social issues living in higherdensity housing without proper support were likely to cause trouble.

After he organised a meeting with HNZ, police and more than two dozen residents, trouble-maker tenants were moved on and the situation had improved.

‘‘It’s the lack of notification or engagement with the community that frustrates me,’’ he said at the time.

Commons said HNZ had, since the England St issues, sought ‘‘deliberate engagement’’ with people likely to be impacted by new complexes.

Staff from the Ministry of Social Development, police, the Tenants Protection Agency and other social housing providers attended the opening event last week.

‘‘There’s lots of lessons from that Phillipstown stuff, and this [crossagency engagement] is very, very deliberate. We also need to take a lot of time to get the right sort of people here.’’

Higher-density HNZ complexes were a reflection of society in general, and better met the needs of clients, he said.

‘‘We’ve got to do everything we can to support everyone here . . . you don’t just put people in homes and walk away.

‘‘That’s why we’ve got a common room here, we’ve got a physical thing for that sort of purpose . . . We’ve got increasing demand and the folks we’re housing have got increasing challenges and needs. So the houses are only the start.’’

‘‘We also need to take a lot of time to get the right sort of people here.’’