Notorious Wellington Kāinga Ora flats still tenanted a year after supposed closure

Thursday, 4 January 2024

More than a year after Kāinga Ora said tenants in an unfit-for-purpose Dixon St flats had to move on, a number remain there.

One remaining tenant in the central Wellington flats, who asked not to be identified, said there were more than 30 flats still in use with those still there unable — due to having pets, needing car parks, or being disabled or elderly — to take up other housing offered by the state housing provider.

An alternative site at Church St in central Wellington was on a street too steep for many and had no car parking.

Many people had been promised a place at a new Kāinga Ora site on Rolleston St, Mount Cook, but it was recently revealed that delays meant this would not open until the second quarter of 2024.

Squatters had moved into unused flats in the tower block and people had started to steal copper fixtures. The flats — which were already known for bodily fluids in public areas and antisocial behaviour — now had “undesirables bringing friends in”, the tenant said.

In December 2022, Kāinga Ora greater Wellington regional director Greg Groufsky said the Dixon St flats were “old and no longer fit for purpose” meaning “our customers would need to move from their homes.”

Almost 13 months on, his replacement, Vicki McLaren, on Wednesday confirmed “some” tenants remained at Dixon St. They would be relocated to new homes currently “in the final stages of construction”.

“We expect everyone will be moved out of Dixon St by the end of April,” she said.

There was capacity for them at Church St but “for a range of reasons other homes were deemed to be a better match for the people still living at Dixon St”, she said.

All rentable homes at Church St had been tenanted “at least once”, she said.

The Church St block was originally an office and some rooms were unsuitable for renting. One was being used as a site office, another was a community room, and seven did not have enough natural light to be rented, she said.

“We are looking to use these units for other purposes, at this stage, likely as meeting spaces, partnering with a range of health, social and economic agencies, and storage.

She could not say why rooms were not suitable for individual tenants.

“If someone has accessibility needs, these are a key consideration in placement, and we would always ensure these needs were met.”

It comes amid a bad run for Kāinga Ora, soon after confirmation of delays at Rolleston St. Kāinga Ora documents from November describe Wellington’s social housing need as “urgent” and growing.

The Ministry for Social Development housing register had 789 people in Wellington waiting for a house, with a further 564 in Lower Hutt, 195 in Upper Hutt, 372 in Porirua, and 177 in Kāpiti. Most were top priority.

The national waiting list has grown from 9537 in September 2018 to 25,284 in September 2023. In Wellington City it has grown from 336 to 789 in the same period.

In December it was revealed that a separate, 300-home Kāinga Ora development on nearby Hopper St had been delayed and sent back to the drawing board. It was meant to have the first tenants in during 2023 but Kāinga Ora information now has the completion date as 2027.