Delivering new and improved state housing

After a period of significantly increasing our housing stock, we’re now focussing on improving the quality of our older homes throughout the country.

We’re ensuring our homes are the right size and in the right locations for our tenants close to schools, employment and other amenities.

A focus on renovation and replacement

We’re improving the quality of our older homes by:

Significantly renovating those that are in the right places under our retrofit programme, adding at least 50 years to their lifespan and ensuring they are warm, dry and healthy. Work can include full insulation (walls, ceiling and floor), double glazing, improved ventilation, and new heating. We may also upgrade bathrooms and kitchens and renovate the living areas so they’re modern and open plan.
Completely removing unsuitable, ageing homes and replacing them with new modern, warm and healthy homes on the same land.
Selling some properties and replacing them with new homes in the right locations close to the amenities that people need in their day-to-day lives.

By the numbers

Renovating or replacing

Around 2,000 older homes each year for the next few years

By 2030

Approximately 11,500 older homes renovated or replaced

By 2055

About 40,000 older homes renovated or replaced

A responsible property owner

As we improve the quality of our homes, they’ll be less costly to maintain.

Half of our homes are at least 40 years old and many are no longer suitable for use as social housing. We also spend about 65% of our entire maintenance budget on our older homes.
By replacing older, unsuitable homes with modern, new ones, we can maintain them more easily and efficiently.
Where our homes are already the right size and in the right locations, we’re ensuring they’re well maintained. Through our planned maintenance work, we're improving these homes by replacing roofs and painting and refreshing their exteriors.

Minimising construction waste

As we renovate and replace homes across the country, we aim to minimise the amount of construction waste that ends up in landfill as much as possible.

Wherever it’s practical and cost-effective, we prioritise relocating houses over demolition. When demolition is necessary, we reuse and recycle materials where we can.

House relocation process

We allocate homes we no longer need to a number of organisations that have suitable land for housing, including training organisations, affordable home ownership organisations, Māori, community housing providers, non-governmental organisations and private sector groups.

Kāinga Ora may sell the house for $1 and may also provide financial assistance towards transportation costs.

House relocation Expression of Interest Register

Register your interest here(external link) Note: This form is current as of December 2025.

You will need to provide evidence of:

Land ownership or licence to occupy.
Infrastructure, or planned infrastructure, is completed or underway.
Funds are available to consent, permanently pile and refurbish the home.

Infrastructure must be in place before the house is moved and successful applicants must contact the local council before relocation to apply for the relevant consent(s).