By Sammy Carter of RNZ
Residents have pitched tents to stay overnight at a block of shuttered Kāinga Ora homes, in a last resort to stop the sale of the Wellington site.
The sale deadline of 36 homes in Strathmore is on Wednesday. It has been desolate for years, with plans for development canned.
Protester Lizzie Pringle told RNZ that 10 tents were pitched on the grounds, and it was a chilly Wellington night.
She said the group had invited Kāinga Ora chief Tracey Taylor to join them for breakfast, though they were yet to hear back.
“We are doing a sleepout because we deeply care about Nuku St remaining public housing.
“Nuku Street has been sitting empty ... it’s a perfect site for public housing, there were great Kāinga Ora designs that haven’t been followed through on.”
She said about 80 people gathered at the site when the protest began at 5pm, bringing picnic rugs and food to share.
Pringle hoped the sleepout sent a strong message to Kāinga Ora to not sell the land.
Ten organisations, including Wellington City Mission, Downtown Community Ministry, Pōneke Public Housing Futures, Renters United, and the Catholic Archdiocese, had previously written an open letter to Kāinga Ora chief executive Tracey Taylor urging a halt to the sale.
Kāinga Ora regional director Sarah Willson previously told RNZ the agency had no plans to review the sale of the properties.
“We decided to sell the properties after careful consideration and exploring several options for the site that showed it was not financially viable to deliver new social housing there.”
Willson said the sale money would be reinvested in new social housing that better met tenants’ needs, and reinvesting the proceeds was an important part of its housing renewal programme.
“We understand the local community’s desire for more social housing in Strathmore Park. While it is not financially viable for us to redevelop the Nuku St site, we remain committed to delivering modern homes in the area.”