MEDIA RELEASE
27 August 2015

Tamaki family moves info ‘flash’ new home

Long-time Tamaki resident Ruth Tongialele (42) and her family can only find one word to describe their new Glen Innes home – ‘perfect’.

Ruth and her five children are one of 11 families to move into the recently completed Taniwha Street homes, built by Housing New Zealand as part of the organisation’s redevelopment work in the Glen Innes and wider Tamaki area.

To celebrate this milestone, Minister Responsible for Housing New Zealand, Hon Bill English, and Housing Minister Hon Dr Nick Smith, visited the tenants on Thursday 27 August to ask what they thought about their new homes.

“If I had to name one thing about my house that I didn’t like, I couldn’t choose a single thing! I love everything about it,” says Ms Tongialele.

“When we first moved in the kids didn’t know where to look. We have to get used to the space because it feels so big and we didn’t expect to have a yard so that was a great surprise.”

Ms Tongialele says her new home is a far cry from the state house she grew up in with her two brothers and two sisters just five minutes away in Leybourne Circle – she describes the insulated, double-glazed, four-bedroom home off Taniwha Street as “way flasher”.

Housing New Zealand Chief Executive Glen Sowry is delighted with the tenants’ responses to their new homes.

“We put a great deal of care and planning into our redevelopment projects so it’s always rewarding to hear such positive feedback about what we have achieved for both our tenants and the wider community,” says Mr Sowry.

“Over time, our tenants’ needs have changed significantly – socially, economically and demographically. The modern design of these 11 new houses showcases how we are working to meet these needs by reshaping our portfolio across Auckland, particularly in the areas of greatest demand. This project is a great example of the redevelopment work we are doing, and doing well.”

The 11 new homes also highlight Housing New Zealand’s commitment to making better use of its land to provide warm, dry social homes in the Tamaki area. They have been built on land previously occupied by just two state houses. And, just across the road, development is well underway on a further 21 social houses due for completion early next year.

At the end of March, as part of the government’s Social Housing Reform Programme (SHRP), ownership and management of the homes will transfer to the Tamaki Redevelopment Company headed by chief executive John Holyoake.

“These new houses are a great example of the sort of regeneration that can be achieved through working positively with the community to provide high quality homes as well as a new community hall and early childhood centre for Fenchurch,” Mr Holyoake says.

Mr Sowry adds, “We’re very proud of the standard of the homes that we’re transferring and will be continuing to work closely with TRC over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.”

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