150+ New Social Homes to Be Delivered in Hawke’s Bay by 2026

More than 150 new social houses are expected to be delivered by Community Housing Providers (CHPs) in Hawke’s Bay says Housing Minister Chris Bishop.

Our Government backs social housing and we are determined to deliver it better, Mr Bishop says.

We are building an entirely new housing investment system centred on the key principles of building the right homes, in the right place, with the right support, for the people most in need.

Across New Zealand, CHPs and Kāinga Ora have delivered over 6,800 net new social homes since November 2023, with 356 of those being in Hawke’s Bay.

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. Hawke’s Bay is one of the regions benefiting 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 Hawke’s Bay the CHP projects are expected to deliver: At least 150 social homes to be delivered by providers including Emerge Aotearoa, Habitat for Humanity, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and Ka Uruora Homes will be delivered in locations including Marewa, Parkvale, Taradale, Napier South and Hastings.

Most of the places are being allocated to CHPs through the Government’s community led approach with the Hawke’s Bay Matariki Housing Leadership Group.

At this stage, all places being delivered in Hawke’s Bay are one or two-bedroom which will help address the greatest gap in social housing supply in Hawke’s Bay as 77 percent of the Housing Register demand is for one and two bedroom places in this region.

I met with the Hawke’s Bay Matariki Housing Leadership Group earlier this year and it was great to be in a room full of people committed to providing the housing people need in Hawke’s Bay.

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. 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 Hawke’s Bay projects are a good example of the progress being made.

Six of the homes have already been delivered, with Whatever It Takes Trust delivering these places in Napier South.  Over 130 more homes have been approved with delivery expected from mid 2026 by CHPs such as Emerge Aotearoa, Habitat for Humanity, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and Ka Uruora, each working with construction partners of their choice.