Nine Wellington housing, social service and community organisations are urging Kāinga Ora to stop the sale of nearly one hectare of publicly owned land in Strathmore Park, just weeks before the general election.
The organisations have signed an open letter to Kāinga Ora chief executive Tracey Taylor, calling for the withdrawal of 4, 6 and 8 Nuku Street from a deadline sale closing at 4pm on Wednesday 21 October.
The deadline falls 17 days before New Zealand’s general election on 7 November.
The 9,965-square-metre property contains three apartment blocks with 36 one- and two-bedroom units. It is being marketed by Bayleys as a development opportunity, with resource consent already granted for a 39-lot subdivision.
Potential buyers could renovate the existing buildings or demolish them to make way for new housing.
The organisations argue that selling the site into private ownership would remove an opportunity to provide additional state housing in a city where hundreds of households are waiting for accommodation.
The signatories include Wellington City Mission, Downtown Community Ministry, Pōneke Public Housing Futures, Renters United, Catholic Social Services, Wesley Community Action, Common Grace Aotearoa, the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington’s Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission, and Strathmore Housing Action.
Strathmore Housing Action representative Lizzie Pringle, who organised the letter, says the timing of the sale is particularly concerning because government housing priorities could change following the election.
“We urge Kāinga Ora to press pause on this deadline sale,” she says.
The organisations want the property retained in public ownership until the incoming government has had an opportunity to consider its future.
They point to more than 600 Wellington households waiting for public housing and question whether suitable publicly owned land should be sold while demand remains high.
Natalia Albert, Housing First Manager at Downtown Community Ministry, says the shortage of appropriate homes is a continuing obstacle for organisations working with people experiencing homelessness.
Her organisation helps people secure housing and provides ongoing support, but finding suitable accommodation remains one of the greatest challenges.
The campaign follows a public forum organised by Strathmore Housing Action, attended by local election candidates, residents and housing specialist Dr Rebecca Kiddle.
The meeting examined the importance of public housing and the consequences of losing land that could otherwise be used for future developments.
Kāinga Ora has been selling properties across New Zealand as part of a nationwide programme to renew its housing stock.
The agency says it expects to sell around 900 homes annually over the next few years, with proceeds reinvested in new and upgraded state housing.
Its policy is to replace each home sold with a newly built home elsewhere, maintaining a national portfolio of around 78,000 homes.
However, the Wellington organisations question whether the Nuku Street property should be included in that programme, given its size, existing buildings and potential for additional housing.
The dispute comes as Kāinga Ora prepares another housing development nearby.
In September, the agency announced plans to replace 31 ageing homes on Ngatiapa Street in Strathmore Park with 37 new homes, including two-, three- and four-bedroom properties.
Subject to approvals, construction could begin in early 2028.
That project is separate from the Nuku Street property, and the organisations argue that proceeding with new housing elsewhere in Strathmore does not justify selling other publicly owned sites.
The Bayleys listing confirms that the Nuku Street property will not be sold before the 21 October deadline. It does not establish whether the existing apartments are occupied or what a future buyer would ultimately develop.
Kāinga Ora’s specific response to the organisations’ latest letter has not yet been established.
With the sale deadline approaching, the nine organisations are seeking a decision to withdraw the property from the market and leave its long-term future to be considered after the election.
