Hon Phil Heatley
Minister of Housing

5 May 2009 Media Statement

Tamaki’s bright future starts now

A kick-start investment of $52 million is to be made in the Auckland suburb of Tamaki, marking the launch of one of the largest urban renewal projects undertaken in New Zealand.

The project’s lead Minister, Housing Minister Phil Heatley, described the Tamaki Transformation Programme as “a hugely ambitious 20 year project which seeks to transform a strategically important community facing considerable social and economic challenges, into a thriving, prosperous place to live.”

“Like the development of former Defence land at Hobsonville, this project is something Labour talked about, and announced often, yet not a single spade ever broke the earth. National is determined to deliver better outcomes for the people of Tamaki, starting now,” Mr Heatley said.

Alongside Housing the programme brings together the Ministries of Education, Health, Pacific Island Affairs, Social Development and Employment, Economic Development and Te Puni Kōkiri.

Also backing Tamaki’s transformation are the Auckland City Council and Auckland Regional Council.

The programme will fuse together investment by central and local government in housing, education, health, social services, economic development and infrastructure, into a unique partnership with the Tamaki community.

“We are determined to get better results for the residents of Tamaki. Currently the government’s investment in health, housing, education and social services in the area is twice the national household average, yet social indicators are going backwards. Pacific and Maori families will be among the first to benefit,” Mr Heatley said.

“The Tamaki Transformation Programme is about challenging central government agencies to think differently and act boldly to develop new ways of working together that deliver better outcomes and better value in a key growth area of New Zealand’s largest regional economy.”

As a starting point, the government has agreed to an immediate investment over the next three years of $46 million to begin the huge job of upgrading Tamaki’s dilapidated state housing stock. The balance of $6 million will be used to kick off work by other ministries involved in the project.

Around 150 new homes will be built in Tamaki, and another 120 existing homes upgraded in the first phase of the programme.

Also, by using land more efficiently, housing redevelopment will start to break up the very high concentrations of state housing in Tamaki, inject more private ownership, and provide affordable home ownership opportunities.

“Over time, better housing will deliver better living conditions, a healthier community, a more mixed population and a more attractive urban environment.

“Construction will also create local jobs, and the Tamaki programme will work with local schools to encourage interested school leavers to be trained and employed on nearby building sites,” Mr Heatley said.

The programme will also seek to forge a new relationship with the people of Tamaki, to ensure they are involved in the design and delivery of the government services they receive.

Work will begin immediately on creating an overall plan for Tamaki, which will capture a 20 year vision, including housing developments, parks and reserves, transport links, community services and infrastructure needs. The next phases of the programme will be informed by this plan.

Tamaki at a glance

* Located at the eastern edge of Auckland City, Tamaki encompasses the suburbs of Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure. The area is bordered to the north by Glendowie, the west by the eastern rail corridor and a light industrial precinct, and to the south and east by the Panmure Basin and Tamaki Estuary.

* The Tamaki area has been identified as a high-priority regional growth node given its proximity to the Auckland and Manukau central business districts, availability of under-utilised land for redevelopment, and attractiveness of the natural environment

* The current population of around 17,000 is projected to grow to 27,000 by 2046.

* The wider Tamaki edge area is expected to provide an additional 10,000 jobs over the next 20 years.

* The community is comparatively youthful; 30% of the Tamaki population is aged less than 15 years.

* Tamaki has a high proportion of both single parent and large families.

* The Tamaki population is predominantly non European, with a diverse number of ethnic groups clustered in the specific locations throughout the area. Just under a quarter of the population identify themselves as of Maori decent, and almost half identify with at least one Pacific Island group

* Total area: Approximately 400ha

* Population: 17,000

* Households: 4,700

* Home ownership is 28%

* Average Annual Income: $17,000

* Unemployment: 11%

* Distance from Auckland CBD: 13km

ENDS

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