November 29, 2021
Ambitious plan for Kahungunu housing
The head of a Ngāti Kahungunu housing company says its new subdivision in Napier is a chance for economic and social change for its people.
K3 Kahungunu Property is seeking consent to develop more than 600 homes on a 22-hectare site next to Pukemokimoki Marae in Maraenui, along with parks, shops and community services.
Aayden Clarke says the aim is a third will be social housing built with Kainga Ora and other partners, a third will be houses for the open market, and a third will be affordable housing for iwi members.
He says rather than handing the project over to a large developer, K3 wants to work as much as it can with Kahungunu businesses and tradespeople.
He says the vision is more than housing.
“We don’t want to look back in 15, 20, 50 years and just see housing as the output. We want to see these thriving families and businesses, for people to not only be happy to be in a nice, dry, warm home they own but for businesses to be successful and watching rangatahi grow up, get skills, get qualifications and have good lives,” Mr Clarke says.
K3 hopes to get consents and do civil works over the next year, with the first homes ready to be moved into in early 2023.