Award for innovative collaboration to solve housing shortage
From left: Dan Bonifant of Morrison Low Advisory (award sponsors), Taupō District Council chief executive Julie Gardyne, Penny Homes director John Penny, Taupō District Council general manager organisation performance Sarah Matthews, Penny Homes commercial projects manager Matt Faulkner.
The council and the consortium have partnered to deliver a new 116-home development at Oroko Rise in Taupō, a mix of market and affordable homes, priced from $550,000 in a thoughtfully-designed neighbourhood close to local services and with plenty of green space. Around 60 percent of the first release of 62 sections has sold since they were made available for sale eight months ago.
The council owns a large parcel of land on Taupō’s outskirts zoned for housing and the arrangement is that the consortium will build and sell a range of quality homes. Some are priced in line with the market and others are suitable for working families, empty-nesters and people starting over. Prospective buyers of an affordable home must meet a set of criteria.
Council’s general manager organisation performance Sarah Matthews says the community goal of the project was clear: to deliver housing not being provided by the market.
“What was also clear was that there was no appetite for ratepayers to subsidise this project. So, we had to rethink how to achieve the outcomes the community wanted while also delivering financial returns to Council and our ratepayers.
“This was our opportunity to use land we own to help people into an affordable, quality home at a price that was better than the new builds currently on the market.”
Penny Homes’ director John Penny says from the outset, the partners took a collaborative approach to create a master-planned community that would provide opportunities for locals to have their own home.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of Oroko Rise has been meeting individual homeowners who can now afford a house because of this partnership. Seeing families get into a warm, well-designed home of their own is exactly why projects like this matter.
“Through smart design, efficient procurement and minimising waste, we’ve been able to deliver high-quality homes at a price point that makes home ownership more achievable.”
Mrs Matthews says what made the project special was that no one stepped away when it became difficult.
“Instead, we worked together, challenged assumptions and designed a better solution.”
Mr Penny says after 28 years building homes for the Taupō community, his company is especially proud of what has been achieved through Oroko Rise.
“It demonstrates what can be accomplished when local government and industry work together with a shared commitment to creating affordable, quality housing and stronger communities.”
