Housing Foundation is extending its reach into the WBOP, building over 90 homes to help more kiwis into affordable housing. These are in addition to the 900-plus homes it has already built since it began.

Housing Foundation will be building homes to assist at least 90 renting, working households become first-time homeowners. In January 2022 Housing Foundation went unconditional on the purchase of 3.19 hectares of land in Omokoroa (WBOP) which is due to settle in June 2022. Housing Foundation hopes to lodge for resource consent mid- to late-2022, planning to build the first houses in 2023.

“We’re incredibly excited at the prospect of helping more kiwi households into their own homes. We are a housing charity focusing on assisting low income working households who are locked out of the home ownership market to become homeowners by using our tried and tested shared ownership and rent to own products. It’s working incredibly well in Auckland and Christchurch and we’re delighted to be helping families who are currently renting in the Western Bay of Plenty region now,” said Dominic Foote, Chief Executive, Housing Foundation.

“We know WBOP and Tauranga are experiencing significant and worsening housing affordability. With house prices rising significantly faster than household incomes, it’s harder than ever to get into your own home. We know from so many of the households we work with the incredible benefits that come with home ownership. The stability households experience from owning their own home is immeasurable and will benefit them and many generations to come,” he said.

Housing Foundation has many households who are happy to share their journey to home ownership and the often life-changing impact of being a homeowner. The Tautogia whānau, moved into their own home in 2021 and Mrs Tautogia shares her korero here.

“Owning a home always felt like a distant dream for our whānau as we had struggled to gain the deposit required for today’s market. My husband and I tightened our ‘financial belts’ and worked very hard to put our best foot forward. We cleared all our debt, and we were contacted by Housing Foundation to say they had a home for us to view. Prior to gaining our beautiful whare, we lived in a three-bedroom rental property in Manurewa. We now live in a beautiful, brand-new home in a connected and loving community; we look out for each other and feel safe knowing who our neighbours are and seeing our kids play together. We feel deeply grateful for the home we have been blessed with. We love everything about our whare - the location, the finishing and the fact that it took a village to get us here.”

Housing Foundation is a not-for-profit, charitable trust that assists lower income renting households to become homeowners. It has successfully helped hundreds of households into affordable home ownership, through its shared ownership and rent to own programmes by building, managing and/or funding the construction of more than 900 new affordable homes. The passionate team of people who runs Housing Foundation is governed by a board of nine Trustees.

Ken Stevenson (2007-2022), Founding Trustee and original Chair is retiring this year after 15 years’ service. He was previously chairman of the Auckland Branch, NZ Institute of Valuers. Ken was inducted as a life member to the NZ Institute of Valuers and the NZ Property Institute. Ken’s contribution has been invaluable in establishing the Housing Foundation to be the successful affordable housing model it is today.

Trustees also retiring from the board are Bill Roest (2007-2021) and Ian Mitchell (2011-2021). Both of their services over their respective tenures, particularly their skills and experiences that they brought to Housing Foundation shaping it to be the organisation it is today, are deeply appreciated.

Housing Foundation incoming and new Trustees are Orchid Atimalala, Maxine Shortland and Mel Hewitson.

Orchid Atimalala is a practicing Strategic Urban Planner and Environment Policy Analyst, a profession she has been in for over 30 years and has dedicated her career to improving urban and community outcomes in NZ, Australia and Samoa.

Maxine Shortland (Ngati Hine, Ngapuhi, Ngati Wai, Ngati Porou) has over 25 years’ governance and executive management experience. She is currently Chair, NZ Public Health Association as well as a Director of Waitangi Ltd, Netball NZ and a Trustee of Foundation North.

Mel Hewitson has a significant commercial background in financial services, risk and regulation and governance. She is an independent director on numerous boards and is a Trustee on Foundation North and Auckland Foundation as well as Chair of Waikato Tainui Nominating committee for Group Investment Committee.
 

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