Nearly 80 new state homes will be delivered across Eastern Porirua in the coming months, as the Te Rā Nui partnership continues its renewal of older public housing in the area.
The partnership between Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council and Ngāti Toa Rangatira has already delivered 114 state homes.
The first two of the next stage are now complete in Cornwall Crescent and ready for whānau to move in. They replace one older home on the site.
A further 77 state homes are under construction across Eastern Porirua, replacing 33 older homes and more than doubling the number of homes available on those sites.
The new homes range from one to five bedrooms.
Te Rā Nui Project Director Rachelle Raw said many of the existing homes were built between 60 and 70 years ago.
“The new homes we’re building will give our tenants warm, dry and healthy places to live that better suit their needs, now and into the future,” Raw said.
Te Rā Nui is also continuing to upgrade older state homes that remain in Eastern Porirua.
So far, 118 homes have been fully retrofitted, with another 13 under way.
The upgrades include insulation, double glazing, ventilation, heating, and improvements to kitchens and bathrooms. Kāinga Ora said the work is expected to extend the life of those homes by about 50 years.
Raw said tenants felt the benefits quickly, especially in winter.
“Our retrofitted homes are cheaper to heat and much easier to keep warm, and that has clear flow-on benefits for people’s health and overall wellbeing,” she said.
Infrastructure work is also progressing alongside the housing programme.
In June 2025, Te Rā Nui and its development partners completed a 3km upgrade of the trunk wastewater main in Bothamley Park.
Work is also under way on a major upgrade to Cannons Creek Park, including a new wetland designed to naturally filter stormwater.
Construction has begun on a larger drinking-water reservoir in Whitby to improve network resilience, including during major weather events.
The 77 homes currently under construction are spread across Cheshire Street, Matahourua Crescent, Castor Crescent, Hazard Grove, Esk Place, Miranda Street, Westmeath Street, Warspite Avenue and Corinna Street.