- Hon Dr Megan Woods
Christchurch has eight new warm, dry public homes, as the Government's delivery of the biggest public housing programme in a generation, continues.
The Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods visited the new homes in Riccarton today.
"It's always a great thrill to see yet more 21st Century public housing completed, ready for people and families to move into," Megan Woods said.
"These are but a handful of the nearly 12 thousand additional public homes, and four thousand transitional homes our Government has delivered, since we came into Government.
"Here in Christchurch City, there are nearly 1,821 additional public homes. That follows a net loss of 341 homes under the previous National Government.
"So, as we turn around the housing crisis we inherited, we can proudly say the public housing sector that was decimated under National, is thriving.
"Kāinga Ora and Community Housing Providers are both key to this delivery, and in Christchurch, one of the unique features is that 100 of them have been built by inmates at Rolleston Prison.
"These men take great pride in their work and are learning valuable skills to take into employment," Megan Woods said.
The eight new homes of various sizes include two built to full universal design to cater for those with accessibility needs, and replace three older homes on the site.
"One of the ways we're increasing the supply of public housing across the country is by redeveloping existing Kāinga Ora properties to provide more new homes on the same site, as we have done here in Waniui Street.
In the last five years Kainga Ora has delivered 84 public homes in Riccarton. In wider Canterbury there are now 1908 more public homes, and over the next two financial years, around 1,000 more public homes are set to be delivered in the region.
