Christmas blessings for Lower Hutt whānau

The whānau moved into the modern two-bedroom home in early-December. Just a short walk from a train station, Gershom can easily commute to university while Vijitha is much closer to her work than she was when they lived in Porirua.

Gershom, 22, has just completed a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and will start his Master’s in 2026. He dreams of designing his own family home one day.

“This home is really convenient so I can keep going to university. I’ve wanted to design buildings since design class in high school.”

He appreciates the design of their new home. “It’s clean and modern. I like the contrast of materials, the brick with the panels, the colours, and even the roof shape. It’s not your typical house. It feels different to a lot of the others in the area – it’s contemporary.”

For Vijitha, the move makes it much easier to keep regular employment while enjoying a fresh start in a welcoming neighbourhood.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating this Christmas in the new house. We’re surrounded by people in similar situations, moving into new homes… a new community to grow. There will definitely be opportunities to make new friendships and I’m looking forward to cooking for them and doing that.”

Sarah Willson, Kāinga Ora’s regional director for the Greater Wellington Region, said it was great to see modern Kāinga Ora homes helping whānau like Vijitha and Gershom achieve their aspirations.

“We know there’s a need from whānau for more quality homes in Lower Hutt. At this site, builders with Rhys Finlay Contractors have replaced three old homes with eight new two-bedroom homes.

“About half our social houses are at least 40 years old, and many no longer meet people’s needs. We’re addressing this by delivering warm modern homes that are the right size, in the right places.

“Over the next 30 years, we’ll renovate or replace around 40,000 homes - more than half of our housing portfolio – to ensure we have new and improved homes for whānau across the country.”

Find more information about developments in Lower Hutt(external link).