- Rt Hon Chris Hipkins
- Hon Dr Megan Woods
- Labour delivering the most public homes per year on average since the 1950s
- Over 12,000 public homes delivered - most of them new builds
- 1 in 7 of all public homes in NZ delivered under this Government
- Over 4,000 transitional homes delivered
- An estimated 22,000 people involved in the building programme
- Over 250 apprenticeships and cadetships involved in building public houses
- All public housing on track to meet Healthy Home Standards by July 2024
The Government has hit a major milestone with the successful delivery of over 12,000 additional public homes since October 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced.
"Our fast pace of delivery on public housing means on a yearly basis, this Labour Government is delivering the most public homes since the second Labour Government in the 1950s," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.
"One in seven of all public homes in New Zealand have now been delivered by this Government.
"This is an impressive achievement, even more so when you consider that nearly ten thousand of them are brand new, warm dry homes.
"Our building programme has supported our economy in recent years, with 22,000 people involved in the building programme.
"Our public home building programme is a key example of delivery for the Government. It has provided warm healthy homes, created jobs, and supported our economy over recent years," Chris Hipkins said.
"In just six years we have rebuilt the public housing stock after National left New Zealand with 1,500 fewer public homes than it started with, and failed to invest in new ones," Housing Minister Megan Woods said.
"The extraordinary pace of delivery from both Kāinga Ora and community housing providers under this Government is evident in communities across New Zealand. Every region of New Zealand has more public homes than when we became the Government.
"From refreshed neighbourhoods like Mangere and Mt Roskill in Auckland to areas like Palmerston North and Invercargill that are getting more public homes for the first time in many years, we are delivering much-needed public housing.
"These new builds meet the Government's Healthy Home Standards for insulation, heating and ventilation. By July 2024 it's expected that all public housing will meet the standards.
"In addition to public homes, we've also delivered over 4,000 transitional homes with wrap-around social and health services.
"Public housing is a vital part of our social support system that provides people at risk of homelessness or overcrowded housing with a stable and affordable place to live. This is not just about meeting the cost of a physical home, but also the ongoing rent support for people in public housing.
"Our deep commitment to public housing extends beyond the 18,000 public and transitional houses that will be delivered by the end of 2024, with Budget 2023 adding another 3,000 public homes by June 2025.
"I will shortly release an updated Public Housing Plan for these extra 3,000 homes that will focus on increasing public housing in regions with high need," Megan Woods said.
Notes to Editors
- Since October 2017, there has been a net increase of 12,017 public homes, with 9,917 of these being new builds (as at April 2023).
- This takes the overall total of public homes to 78,251.
- In addition, over 4,000 transitional homes have also been added in this time, bringing the number of places available in April 2023 to 5,910 transitional homes.
- The Government is on track to deliver over 18,000 new public and transitional housing places by 2024.
- There are currently over 4,500 public housing places under construction.
