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Charmaine Apanui, a single mother of six, said she was “excited and relieved” to finally have a permanent home after living in emergency and transitional housing for more than three years.
photo: LDR/Zita Campbell
Nine Gisborne families in need of stable housing celebrated their move into the new Kāinga Ora housing estate.
On Tuesday, the sun was shining brightly as parents, children and families smiled broadly and accepted their new reality.
Many of them could not put into words the excitement they felt after leaving emergency housing.
One mother said she had to move every six months for three years before she finally found a permanent home.
Children from Te Hapara School, which is located opposite the development near the intersection of Gladstone and Mill roads, performed at the opening ceremony and were blessed by kaikarakia Morehu Pewhairangi.
Single mother of six Charmaine Apanui said after three and a half years of living in emergency and transitional housing, she finally has the peace of mind of knowing she and her daughters have a permanent home.
She said she had originally planned to stay in transitional housing for only 12 weeks.
She felt “excited and relieved” because she finally had her own privacy and a place “where people couldn’t just barge in.”
In transitional housing, she is not allowed visitors and must continually prove she is seeking shelter.
“They check your email, phone number and any calls you’ve made to see if you’re looking for a house, and you have to do it again and again every week until you find the right house.
“If they find out there’s someone in your house who’s not you, you get a warning and then you get in trouble,” she said.
Pupils from Te Hapara School, near the development, performed at the opening ceremony.
photo: LDR/Zita Campbell
Apanui said she was lucky to have great social workers who encouraged her to keep trying.
“They’re the reason I moved here today.”
According to figures released by the Ministry of Social Development, 57 families, including 75 children, were in emergency housing in Gisborne at the end of June, a third fewer than in March.
The Apanui family is one of three families with six children moving into the development. In total, 35 children will live in the nine homes.
The Kāinga Ora development, which was completed last week, consists of one six-bedroom home, three four-bedroom homes, four three-bedroom homes and one two-bedroom home.
North East Island regional director Naomi Whitewood said Kāinga Ora was honoured to provide a warm, comfortable long-term home for nine families.
“Gisborne is a priority area for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s public housing program and we are committed to achieving our housing goals for the region.
“The houses are larger in size and are directly opposite Te Hapara School, which was an important consideration when we were accommodating these students,” she said.
The new homes are being built at the rear of a 5118-square-metre block that previously housed three public housing estates and some vacant land.
“By increasing the number of homes on the site, more families will enjoy living in an area close to schools and other services.”
After receiving the blessing of kaikarakia Morehu Pewhairangi, family and friends remove their shoes when entering the new house.
photo: LDR/Zita Campbell
Stuart Buscke of TW Construction, the regional manager for the project, said the homes were not expected to be completed until June 25 next year.
They got together with Kāinga Ora and “developed a plan to complete the nine houses”.
Mr Busque told Local Democracy Report that the Government had asked Kāinga Ora to reassess its financial situation, leading to the temporary suspension of construction work.
Whitewood said the four additional homes are expected to be completed in November.
“We have resource consent to build a further eight homes in a three-storey building. We are assessing this stage of development and making decisions about future social housing plans to ensure value for money and alignment with HUD’s priority locations.”
According to the Department of Housing and Early Childhood Development, 550 people are on the waiting list for social housing in Gisborne by May 2024.
Kāinga Ora has 60 homes in Gisborne, which are expected to be completed by the end of June 2025, with a further 52 homes contracted to be delivered by June 30, 2026.
In 2022, Cyclone Gabriel put pressure on Gisborne’s housing stock, with hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed.
At the time, Gisborne Mayor Recht Stolz said the area was in desperate need of more housing.
It is estimated that by 2050, an additional 5000 homes will need to be built in the Tairāwhiti area.
Over the next 30 years, Gisborne District Council’s Future Development Strategy aims to deliver an additional 5400 new homes in the municipality and 2235 new homes on land already zoned residential in the wider settlements and villages in the area.
LDR is a local news organisation jointly funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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