To increase the supply of affordable rental properties in Wellington, we're partnering with private building owners to convert former office spaces into apartments.
Te Kāinga is aimed at people on medium to lower incomes, who may otherwise find it difficult to access appropriate housing in the city.
The programme has no impact on rates and was identified as a priority project in Our 10-year Plan – Housing Strategy (2018–2028). It aims to increase the supply of safe, warm, and dry homes in the city and contribute to the Council’s vision: All Wellingtonians well housed.
Building owners are responsible for retrofitting and maintenance of the apartments and the Council is responsible for tenancy management. The Council receives a tenancy management fee from the building. This makes the programme cost neutral to the Council and ratepayers.
The Council has committed to providing 1,000 Te Kāinga apartments.
Te Kāinga buildings
There are currently 290 apartments in the Te Kāinga programme. Of these, 212 are managed by the Te Kāinga team, and 78 are subleased to Victoria University.
The apartments managed by the Te Kāinga team are located across three buildings on Willis Street. You can find out more about these buildings and see current vacancies on the Te Kāinga website.
Visit Te Kāinga website
New buildings
Two more refurbished apartment buildings are under construction and due to open in 2025. They will provide another 183 rental properties, including a large number of one-bedroom apartments, in response to feedback and demand.
Sign up to the mailing list on the Te Kāinga website to be the first to hear about vacancies and get the latest updates.
Partner with us
If you’re a building owner or developer interested in taking part in this programme, contact the Housing Development Team at housingdevelopment@wcc.govt.nz
More information
Visit the Te Kāinga website or email us at tekainga@wcc.govt.nz if you have any questions.