Frequently asked questions about the Glen Innes redevelopment

Housing New Zealand is committed to improving housing in Tamaki, and this redevelopment is good for the area. It will increase the overall number of houses in Tamaki, including options to rent from community based organisations at a lower than market rent, home ownership opportunities, and private sector rentals. It will provide better quality state housing that meets the needs of the families we house.

It will help the Tamaki economy to grow, make the community safer and more connected, and create new opportunities for residents, including more opportunities to own and/or rent affordable homes.

Housing New Zealand properties in the area are old and outdated and many no longer meet the needs of tenants. They also have large, under utilised sections. Through redeveloping the area we can improve and increase housing to meet demand for both affordable rental housing and properties for private sale.

The northern Glen Innes redevelopment project area includes 239 state houses, of which:

• 156 will be redeveloped
• 43 are to be retained and left as they are
• 40 will be modernised.

The project proposes the redevelopment of 156 properties to create at least 260 new homes, including 78 that Housing New Zealand will own, and ideally at least 39 owned by other social or community housing providers who will provide rental or home ownership properties below market levels. The remainder will be for private sale.

This will mean a reduction in the number of state houses in the project area, however Housing New Zealand has plans to increase the total number of state houses across Auckland over the next five years to meet demand for housing from those in greatest need.

Housing New Zealand will be seeking development partner/s through an expression of interest process, followed by a request for proposals from short-listed applicants. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate their experience and capability to deliver a project of this kind, including understanding what the project is aiming to achieve, working with the community and delivering quality residential housing. A robust procurement process will be used to select the preferred partner/s.

Timeline for the Expression of Interest:

29 September 2011       Advertise Expression of Interest
28 October 2011             Expression of Interest closes
4 November 2011           Short-listed candidates for Request for Proposal announced
16 December 2011        Closing date proposals
February / March 2012   Confirm preferred partner/s
April  / May 2012              Execute project deed

Housing New Zealand is committed to improving housing in Tamaki, and has progressed redevelopment plans in northern Glen Innes in advance of the proposed establishment of an urban regeneration and development agency, which would then develop a comprehensive 15 – 20 year plan for the area. The plan would include future housing improvements and redevelopments.

Both Auckland Council, in its Draft Auckland Plan, and Housing New Zealand, in its Asset Management Strategy, identified Tamaki as a priority area. Therefore it made sense to progress redevelopment as soon as possible to meet the growing demand for housing in Tamaki.

The project will also provide an opportunity to test innovative approaches to housing redevelopment that will be valuable to both a future urban development agency in producing a comprehensive plan, and for Housing New Zealand when looking at redevelopment options in other areas dominated by state housing.

Housing New Zealand is committed to housing those in greatest need in Auckland.

Therefore, based on current demand forecasts across the broader Auckland area, we anticipate an overall increase of the number of state homes across the city by around 1400 over the next five years to meet demand.

The number of state houses in different suburbs across Auckland will fluctuate over time as we buy, sell and redevelop housing to make sure we have the right homes, in the right condition, in the right locations to meet demand. This will involve redeveloping areas dominated by state housing to achieve a better mix of state, community, and private housing.

There are many state homes that don’t need to be redeveloped, and if we haven’t already done so, we will be upgrading these homes over time to make them warmer, drier and better to live in. Over the next five years we plan to improve 14,500 state houses in Auckland. Improvements range from insulation to full interior upgrades.

We will announce plans as they are finalised.

The tenants of the 156 homes can remain living in them until least mid-2012. They will be kept undated as the project progresses and given plenty of advance notice about when they have to move.

We won’t know how the project will be staged until after a partner has been appointed.

Affected families will be transferred to another state house that meets their needs.

Families wishing to move into a private rental property or buy their own home, will be offered advice and support to do so.

Housing New Zealand will be making every effort to relocate people to locations of their choice, however that will depend on availability of properties in the area.

Yes, Housing New Zealand will cover reasonable moving costs, and some relocation costs including connecting utilities.

When the redevelopment is completed, the number and size of state housing in the area will change.  Therefore, while we cannot guarantee families will be able to return to new housing in the area, they can always apply for a transfer to one of the homes once they are completed. As per our normal practice, once the homes are completed they will be offered to families in greatest need.

Please phone 0800 801 601, email: tamaki.housingnz@hnzc.co.nz