KiwiBuild

First home buyers are having difficulty finding property in areas like Auckland and other parts of New Zealand where there is a huge unmet need for affordable homes.

For the last 10 years, housing in New Zealand has outstripped supply. Home ownership rates have fallen from around 74 percent in 1991 to 63 percent today, and a generation of New Zealanders have been locked out of the housing market.

KiwiBuild is about restoring the dream of home ownership to families throughout New Zealand, by providing eligible first home buyers with exclusive access to a range of fixed price modest starter homes. KiwiBuild does this by supporting developers to build more quality, affordable houses, and connecting them with eligible KiwiBuild buyers through a ballot process.

KiwiBuild has three core aims:

• increase home ownership in New Zealand
• increase the supply of affordable homes in parts of New Zealand where there is a shortage
• use government procurement to foster innovation and reduce the cost of building new homes

You can learn more about the KiwiBuild programme and KiwiBuild homes on the KiwiBuild website.

The KiwiBuild Unit was set up in December 2017 to deliver the Government’s KiwiBuild programme. The unit works with developers and other stakeholders to facilitate supply and demand.

Working with developers and stakeholders

We are responsible for identifying and leveraging opportunities in the development industry to procure KiwiBuild dwellings.

We also investigate innovative approaches to address the current constraints within the development sector, including alternative financing approaches and construction methodologies.

Our responsibilities include:

• coordinating and supporting the delivery of KiwiBuild homes through the planned redevelopment of public housing land, alongside new public and open market homes
• scaling up the building of KiwiBuild homes on vacant or under-utilised Crown-owned land
• accelerating private developments by purchasing (or underwriting) new affordable homes off the plans
• investigating major greenfield and urban redevelopment projects, so they can be progressed swiftly by the Housing and Urban Development Authority
• working with councils, iwi and private developers

Working with eligible KiwiBuild buyers

The KiwiBuild Unit provides the guidelines and criteria for potential KiwiBuild buyers, and oversees the eligibility and pre-qualification processes as well as the ballot of available homes.

We communicate with New Zealanders through the KiwiBuild database, and assist developers in the marketing of available homes.

Our responsibilities include:

• managing eligibility, pre-qualification, direct sales and ballot processes for KiwiBuild buyers
• related policy development
• monitoring
• compliance

Our commitment to, and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi — Treaty of Waitangi apply to our negotiations and other joint opportunities to work on housing for New Zealanders.

Auckland

The Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Deed was signed in 2012 between the Crown and Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (Ngā Mana Whenua).

The Deed provides that where the Government intends to develop Crown land subject to the Right of First Refusal in that Deed, a Housing Protocol applies.

The Housing Protocol, administered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), stipulates that Ngā Mana Whenua (through the Whenua Haumi Roroa o Tāmaki Makaurau Limited Partnership) must be offered the first opportunity to be the developer under the same terms and conditions as would apply to the private sector.

A Housing Mahi Ngātahi Agreement with Ngā Mana Whenua, which is inherited by the new Ministry of HUD, applies to these negotiations and other joint opportunities to work on housing.

Other regions

The KiwiBuild Unit has agreements with iwi in other regions, including in Kaipara and Queenstown, where Crown land identified for housing is subject to Treaty settlements.

HUD will also inherit these agreements and is open to similar negotiations in new regions where KiwiBuild homes will be delivered.