Sale of Wellington Kāinga Ora houses sparks local backlash

Link: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9._f0.YIZs2-J2FpwgcBcJJb29s1vXmFAWHLh_p1oUyv-l-RA/regions_wellington/2051712/sale-of-wellington-kainga-ora-houses-sparks-local-backlash

Community activists and politicians have only hours left to stop the sale of a Kainga Ora-owned social housing development in Wellington.

The sale of the Strathmore social housing at 4,6,8 Nuku St ends at 4pm this afternoon.

It has sparked local backlash over concerns for community spirit and affordable housing – with the Labour and Green parties calling for the sale to be put on hold until after the election.

Kainga Ora regional director Sarah Willson told RNZ the agency had no plans to review the sale.

"We understand the strength of feeling in the Strathmore community about the Nuku St site and recognise how important public housing is to Wellington."

Real estate agency Bayleys declined to comment on the sale of this property, or the sale of public land in general.

Minister of Housing Chris Bishop declined to comment saying the sale was an operational decision for Kāinga Ora.

The property's listing on the Bayleys website, described it as an "exceptional development opportunity".

When RNZ visited on Tuesday while the community protest was occurring, the buildings appeared run down with boarded up windows and in darkness.

Inside, mould dotted the flaking ceilings, peeling paint was visible, puddles of rainwater collected on the floor, and joinery and other interiors were broken.

A prospective buyer at the scene told RNZ he would rebuild affordable housing there and, "the government can rent them back off me".

"The government don't deserve to own these if they don't look after them. I'm a taxpayer, and look at the state what they've left it at."

Former tenant Christina Paese said she was disappointed the properties were being sold.

She believed the buildings had deteriorated because they had been left vacant for years.

She described fond memories of raising her children there safely.

"It's a good thing as a mom, you know, seeing my kids growing up healthy."

"But this is where they start from."

The sale of the Strathmore social housing at 4,6,8 Nuku St ends at 4pm this afternoon.

She said she would have been living on the streets without the social housing on Nuku St.

She said selling the land to private buyers would be a loss for families struggling with the cost of living and low wages.

"This is a place where they're supposed to raise their family before they find a proper place," she said.

"So where are they going to end up?"

Willson said the housing agency remained committed to building more homes, with 37 planned on the nearby Ngatiapa Street site.

"We explored several options for redeveloping the Nuku Street site for social housing, but none proved financially viable, which is why we made the decision to sell the property."

Willson said the proceeds from the sale would be reinvested in new social housing that better met tenants' needs.

The housing agency sold more than 900 homes during its 2026 financial year, creating $417 million, according to its financial results released on Tuesday – its strongest in a decade.

Strathmore Housing Action organised a sit-in on Monday night, with locals sleeping in tents overnight in protest of the sale.

About 100 people gathered at the Nuku Street site in Strathmore Park on Monday evening, sharing a barbecue, speeches, hula dancing and a football game.

Organiser Lizzie Pringle said the gathering was about restoring a sense of community to the site, which had been vacant for about three years.

"We were bringing life back into Nuku Street," she said

She said Wellington had more than 600 households on the public housing waiting list, and people at Monday's gathering included those waiting for homes and those living in overcrowded conditions.

"We know that there's just a desperate need for houses in Wellington," she said.

Pringle said the site's proximity to Kahurangi School and a major bus route made it well suited to public housing.

She said the closure of the homes also displaced some former tenants from the Strathmore community, disrupting their children's schooling and their access to work.

Pringle delivered a banner with other locals carrying the message "Do not sell this land" to Kainga Ora's offices on Tuesday morning.

Labour's spokesperson for housing Kieran McAnulty wrote to Kainga Ora asking for the sale to be paused until after the election.

Standing before Kainga Ora's offices in Wellington, Labour MP Craig Renney said it was "nothing short of a disgrace" to sell state housing land before an election.

Green MP Julie Anne Genter said she and Tamatha Paul had launched an open letter weeks ago calling on ministers and Kainga Ora to hold off any land sales until after the election.

"If it's a good investment for the private sector to buy land and buy houses, then why wouldn't it be a great investment for us as a country to own land and own houses which we then use to improve the health and well-being of our people?"

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