Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Kāinga Ora have come under fire for not giving residents a say on a social housing development in Te Puke.

At last week’s Te Puke Community Board meeting, several members of the public spoke about their concerns regarding 11 homes being built at 182-184 Boucher Ave.

Once built the homes will be handed over to Kāinga Ora.

In February Kāinga Ora announced that 24 public housing homes were to be built on four sites around Te Puke.

Gail spoke at the meeting but asked for her last name not to be used in this article. She bought a house in August last year, next to the development with her daughter Krystal.

She said work on the site began without any consultation with the community.

She was concerned about the impact on parking and visibility on the street, given its proximity to Fairhaven School and the use of the road by large trucks.

She was worried about a reduction in property values and had concerns about the potential for up to 40 people and as many as 22 dogs in the homes.

“I understand there is a place for social housing, but 11 two-storey homes that can’t cater to the elderly or the disability community or in that fact to a standard-sized family, makes me believe these homes are going to relocated tenants, homeless and maybe even used for rehabilitation.”

After the meeting, she told Te Puke Times that by the time she found out about the development, it was a done deal.

Krystal said demolition work on the old houses on the site began on February 29 - just days after news of the building of 24 homes in Te Puke appeared in the media.

She said she did not see any information about the development dropped into her mailbox prior to that.

She said when looking for a house she was very selective and wanted somewhere that wasn’t in a highly populated area.

Another nearby resident, who did not wish to be named, said Western Bay of Plenty District Council had given consent, “but don’t want to be accountable”.

“That annoys me as well, that I can’t have my say and put my concerns across.

“Once it’s there it’s not going to match any of the other houses. I understand there is a housing shortage, but this isn’t going to match the rest of the neighbourhood.”

An artist's impression of the completed development at 182-184 Boucher Ave, Te Puke.

“We should have had public consultation from someone - maybe both Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Kāinga Ora- but we weren’t and I’m very annoyed about that.”

In a written response, the council’s environmental consents manager Natasha Ryburn said the subdivision was granted consent on February 12 this year under council officer delegation.

The application was processed on a non-notified basis as it met the legal tests for non-notification under the Resource Management Act.

“In other words, effects were less than minor and there were no parties adversely affected by the development.

“All relevant effects were assessed by Council, including transportation, residential density and urban design and amenity, daylighting, yard setbacks, earthworks, soils, geotechnical, servicing and impervious surface areas.

“Additionally positive effects were considered, including the development provides for diverse affordable housing and connection to local activities, and it is consistent with what is anticipated for the area.”

She said the development included 11 on-site parking spaces.

“Parking and traffic safety have been closely assessed by Council experts and consent conditions have been imposed to ensure adverse transportation effects are minimised and/or avoided.

“Council has heard concerns voiced at community meetings, including the Te Puke Community Board meeting. Kāinga Ora has its own engagement process, and we have shared any community feedback with them”.

Also in a written response, Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said there was a need for more homes in Te Puke. They had just three homes in the area but there were 110 Te Puke whānau on its Housing Register.

One way Kāinga Ora was meeting the need was by purchasing suitable homes from developers, which increased the number of homes available to house people as soon as possible.

“The developer manages all aspects of the construction process, including obtaining resource consent, and we take over ownership of these developments once the homes are finished.

“Once the contract was agreed and resource consent granted, Kāinga Ora, in conjunction with Wolfbrook Residential, delivered a factsheet to neighbours of the development informing them of Kāinga Ora’s intention to purchase.

“Some residents have raised concerns about these homes.”

He said Kāinga Ora’s Bay of Plenty team had met with these residents individually to discuss their concerns.

“Our engagement work aims to keep communities up-to-date about the homes being built in their area, and to support thriving communities.”

The Kāinga Ora website includes a section on keeping the community informed that states: “If a local council approves a non-notified resource consent for a new housing development, we have no additional obligation to engage or consult with the community about new public housing, however our practice is to keep communities updated as plans progress.”

-Te Puke Times.