Kāinga Ora has made the call to remove a small number of Auckland homes that were extensively damaged in the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
Torrential rain and flash flooding inundated houses Auckland, with floodwaters so high in some places that several Kāinga Ora homes were lifted off their foundations.
More than 590 Kāinga Ora properties or surrounds were damaged during the floods at the end of January. Over half of those damaged properties can be lived in while repairs are carried out, but rehousing offers are being made to around 250 customers and their whānau, Kāinga Ora said.
"Several of our older homes in Clover Drive, Henderson and in Pito Place, Māngere were extensively damaged by the floods," deputy chief executive for Auckland and Northland Caroline Butterworth said in a statement.
"After assessing the damage and looking at long-term plans for redevelopment, we have decided repairing many of these homes is not a viable option. We have made the decision to remove eight homes in Clover Drive and 19 homes in Pito Place."
Butterworth said whānau living in those homes have been contacted and arrangements to move them into other Kāinga Ora homes are being made.
The homes in Pito Place are in an area already earmarked by Kāinga Ora for future redevelopment so demolishing them now may bring forward those plans, Butterworth said.
"Making these decisions promptly means we can give customers from these homes certainty about rehousing and it gives us the opportunity to work through the best future use of the land," she said.
"We're going to take the time needed to make well-informed decisions, including looking at how we might redevelop to provide improved housing solutions with greater resilience to future flooding events."
Demolition for a few other small pockets of public housing damaged in the floods is also being considered and a decision will be made soon.
