Granville Flats live on as part of upgraded social homes

Wednesday, 28 January 2026

Parts of the now demolished Granville Flats, where generations of Wellingtonians grew up, are getting a second life in new social homes around the capital.

The 23 homes were last week turned over to community homing provider Te Toi Mahana by the Wellington City Council with nearly half already tenanted.

Reusing pieces of Granville Flats was part of the council’s sustainability goals with doors from old flats used in the refurbished homes, some of which have been completely reroofed, along with new carpeting, heating and improved outdoor spaces. Some of the two, three and four-bedroom homes have been vacant for up to a decade.

Te Toi Mahana, which took over the social housing portfolio in 2023, was also looking to add 500 homes in the next 10 years. It currently manages around 1900 properties and provides homes for nearly 3000 people.

The new homes are part of the second phase of the council’s housing upgrade programme which will invest $439.1million in the next decade. The first phase upgraded 940 units.

Te Toi Mahana chief executive Jonathan Manns said bringing long-vacant homes back into use delivered real benefits for families and the wider city.

“Stable housing is the foundation for strong, resilient communities,” Manns said. “These upgrades mean more whānau can move into safe, warm and affordable homes, while making better use of public investment.”

A new development on Nairn St in Mt Cook is in the planning phase, proposing 69 one‑ and two‑bedroom homes near the Berkeley Dallard apartments.

Also in the works are developments in Tawa and Crofton Downs aiming for another 59 affordable homes being available next year.

Behind the scenes, Te Toi Mahana has also been strengthening how it manages day-to-day services with a new workflow system called Nintex - using specialised AI agents along with human staff.

It will help with maintenance, tenancy management, anti-social behaviour response, health and safety, recruitment, and onboarding.

Service development manager Sebastian Abril said with complex service needs, the organisation needed a way to document, standardise, and scale operational processes, without compromising the quality of service, safety, or compliance to its tenants during its transition.

“Te Toi Mahana is only two years old, so establishing a new organisation while continuing to deliver essential housing services was a huge challenge,” he said.

Abril said there needed to be a strong foundation to allow them to deliver consistency quickly - “to make sure tenants, staff, and partners could rely on us from day one. Our focus was on giving people the tools, clarity, and confidence to deliver great service, even in a fast-changing environment”.