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    Water infrastructure to enable new housing in Kaikohe

    A $39 million upgrade to water infrastructure that will enable new housing to be developed in Kaikohe is expected to begin from July this year.

    The council is providing $16m, while $23m will come from the government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF).

    The IAF provides councils with funding to support the build and expansion of critical infrastructure essential for much-needed housing developments and commits councils and developers to building homes in areas of high need. Responsibility for maintaining existing water assets remains with local councils. The funding was approved in November 2022 and was followed by investigations into potential locations for housing development in Kaikohe. Once existing infrastructure was evaluated, detailed design was undertaken before a tender process for construction could begin. These project stages took 24 months to complete.

    The funding will be used to extend the reticulation system (underground pipes for water and wastewater connections to new properties), as well as upgrades to the Taraire Hills Water Treatment Plant which will improve connections to Matawii Dam and ensure resilience of fresh water supply to the town.

    While details of the IAF project were being developed, the council has been forging ahead with other affordable housing projects in Kaikohe. A partnership between the council's commercial arm, Far North Holdings Limited (FNHL), and Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi (THOON) enabled the construction of 60 community housing units by August last year in Kaikohe. Te Kohekohe was opened over several stages with construction managed by FNHL, while THOON provided wrap-around support services for tenants. Te Kohekohe is understood to be the first housing complex in New Zealand to be co-owned and co-built between a council-owned organisation and iwi.

    This successful blueprint for safe, warm, affordable housing will be repeated in Bisset Road, Kaikohe which is also part of the IAF programme. In Bisset Road 100 new homes are planned with construction set to begin this year on 40 of those.

    Planning to provide infrastructure for housing developments in Kawakawa is also underway. Details will be released when they become available.

    Main picture -  new housing planned for Bisset Road Kaikohe is part of the IAF programme, and will follow a similar blueprint to Te Kohekohe, an affordable housing project.