Nelson will soon see more Kāinga Ora homes upgraded, this time in Tāhunanui.
The former Nelson City Council-owned flats in Blackwood St will be upgraded by mid-June this year and will have new insulation and fences installed, more outdoor lighting, recladding, and a change to open-plan living.
MP for Nelson, Rachel Boyack, says 14 homes in total will be upgraded, on top of the 18 homes that were recently finished on Nayland Rd.
“These upgrades are a win-win for our community with formerly run-down houses being taken off the council’s books and Kāinga Ora investing in significant upgrades to ensure all residents have warm, dry homes,” she says.
“We are now starting to see the benefits of Kāinga Ora’s ability to invest significantly in improving the quality of social housing here in Nelson, without burdening ratepayers with the cost.”
Kainga Ora purchased 142 community houses from Nelson City Council in 2020 for $19.8m. The council used $12m of the proceeds to set up the Nelson City Council Housing Fund.
“I advocated for the transfer of housing to Kainga Ora so that the units could be upgraded and so that Nelson City Council could support local housing organisations like the Nelson Tasman Housing Trust and Habitat for Humanity to build more houses,” Rachel says.
A resident in one of the newly-refurbished Nayland Rd homes, who asked to be named only as Marilyn, says she feels lucky to have the improvements.
“I love it, it’s just beautiful. I’ve been living here for eight years and it’s such an improvement. I know how lucky I am,” she says.
Marilyn, who has a serious lung condition, says her home’s previous dampness was an issue during the winter but she’s looking forward to a healthier winter in 2023.
“I go swimming every day [to help with symptoms]. The new heat pump will make everything much better,” she says.
The retrofit work, which aims to improve older homes by making them warmer and drier, was also completed on the Nayland Rd complex’s other nine units in July last year.
Kāinga Ora plans to upgrade the Blackwood St complex as well as two others during the next two years.
“It’s great to see more social housing being built and upgraded. Everyone in Nelson deserves a warm, dry, and safe place to call home,” says Rachel.
