Northland to Receive 70+ New Social Homes: Government's Commitment to Address Housing Needs

More than 70 new social homes will be delivered in Northland by Community Housing Providers (CHPs), Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.

Our Government backs social housing, and we’re determined to deliver it better. That means building the right homes, in the right places, with the right support, for the people most in need, Mr Bishop says.

Across New Zealand, CHPs and Kāinga Ora have delivered over 6,800 net new social homes since November 2023, with 424 of those places being in Northland.

On top of that, the Government has committed funding for more than 2,000 additional homes to be delivered by CHPs over the next two years.

Northland, which has a very high level of severe housing deprivation, is one of the regions that will benefit from this pipeline.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has allocated social homes based on regional need, which has been assessed using a range of factors including the housing register and emergency housing use.

In Northland, the CHP projects are expected to deliver: At least 70 social homes to be delivered by CHPs including Otangarei Papakāinga Limited, Ngāti Rēhia and Habitat for Humanity Homes located in areas such as Whangarei, Maunu and Kerikeri More than 80 percent of places are one or two-bedrooms which will help address the greatest gap in social housing supply in Northland Half of those waiting for a home nationally need a one-bedroom property, yet only 12 percent of Kāinga Ora’s stock meets that need. In Northland, 81 per cent of the housing register demand is for one and two bedroom places, so these new homes will make a real difference, Mr Bishop says.

Every set of keys handed over is another person or family in a warm, dry social home. We’re focused not just on delivering more homes, but on delivering the right homes that match the needs of people and communities.

The Government’s wider reset of the social housing system is already showing results. Recently the Community Housing Funding Agency achieved an A+ credit rating from S&P Global, and recently we announced the introduction of a new loan guarantee scheme, reducing borrowing costs for CHPs and enabling them to deliver more homes.

We’re simplifying the funding system so providers can get on with building homes, instead of navigating a confusing web of overlapping funds. These Northland projects are a good example of the progress being made.

Seven of the homes have already been delivered, with Habitat for Humanity delivering these places in Whangarei.  Remaining homes will be delivered by CHPs working in conjunction with construction partners of their choice from July 2026.