March 18, 2016
Bids in for Tauranga state houses
Two Bay of Plenty Maori trusts have joined a consortium bidding to take over the running of more than 1000 state homes in Tauranga.
Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust and Tapuika Iwi Authority Trust are part of Kainga Community Housing Partners, along with Trust House Limited, a community landlord which owns and manage 500 rental homes in the Wairarapa, and Australasian firms HRL Morrison & Co, Compass Housing Service, and Programmed FM.
Also bidding are Accessible Properties, a New Zealand social housing provider, and the Hapori Connect Tauranga consortium, which includes British and Canadian real estate and social housing companies.
The sale is a pilot for a wider transfer of social housing to the private sector.
Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says the Government expects the community housing sector to work with financiers and asset managers to share expertise and figure out innovative ways of providing housing.
A decision on the preferred bidder is still some months away.
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