Hon Jenny Salesa

Associate Minister for Housing and Urban Development

Minister for Ethnic Communities

28 March 2018

PĀNUI PĀPĀHO

Public housing for Asian seniors opens in Panmure

A new development of 36 public housing units specifically designed for Asian seniors will open in Panmure today, says Ethnic Communities and Associate Housing and Urban Development Minister Jenny Salesa.

The development has been built by the Chinese New Settlers Services Trust (CNSST), in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). MBIE’s Social Housing Fund provided capital funding of more than $5.2 million towards the project.

“CNSST Kotuku House will house Asian seniors in Auckland that face a number of social issues, including isolation, safety concerns and a lack of independent living options,” Jenny Salesa said.

“As the number of New Zealanders aged over 65 continues to rise, developments such as these will be increasingly in demand.

“The Chinese New Settlers Services Trust provides social services for more than 15,000 local Asian migrants each year and the opening of Kotuku House shows this group is responsive to the needs of its community.

“This Government is committed to increasing the supply of long-term public housing but we cannot do this alone. Working closely in partnership with our Community Housing Providers, such as the CNSST, will be critical in achieving our goals,” Jenny Salesa said.

CNSST’s Executive Director, Jenny Wang, says Kotuku House is just the start of what the Trust aims to achieve in the public housing space.

“The Trust is focussed on developing further social housing projects for local Asian seniors, and re-investing our housing surpluses back into social housing to meet the increased housing, social and cultural demands of the people we work with,” she said.

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