Auckland, 28 Jun e- The Otahuhu community has received a much-needed housing boost with the completion of 18 new social housing properties, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says. Built on the site where just five 1950s state houses once stood, all of the 18 new Housing New Zealand (HNZ) properties will soon be home to some of Auckland’s most needy families and individuals. The houses on the 4352 sq m Special Housing Area site include eight two-bedroom homes, two three-bedroom homes, six four-bedroom homes and two five-bedroom homes.
Mrs Bennett, who visited the site yesterday to see the finishing touches being added to the homes before they are tenanted, said: “These homes are a great example of how a community can benefit from the redevelopment of old state house that are no longer fit for purpose. Local stakeholders…… including local board members have also seen the new houses and were impressed with the new homes in their community. “Given the high demand for housing in Auckland, it is no longer realistic for us to have three-bedroom houses on large sections. Developments like this allow us to use our land more efficiently and build more housing of the right size and type to meet demand.” HNZ has land in about 50 Special Housing Areas across Auckland. The areas will enable HNZ to create up to around 3000 new houses on sites where there are currently only about 690 homes.
