KiwiBuild and Ngāi Tahu Property are working together to build a new community of more than 300 homes on the former site of Wakatipu High School in Queenstown, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford said today.
Ngāi Tahu Property and KiwiBuild have agreed in principle on a plan to develop the site and are working together on a development agreement that will finalise plans for the new community. The former school site was purchased by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development late last year as part of this work.
The new community of 300-plus homes will include more than 100 KiwiBuild homes, as well as supporting commercial spaces. The first homes are expected to be completed in 2022.
“Building housing on the old Wakatipu high school site has been talked about for a couple of years. It’s good to see progress being made,” Phil Twyford said.
“Queenstown has been hard hit by the housing crisis. It has the most expensive housing in the country, with an average house price of $1.2m and average weekly rent of $620.
“That’s why our Government, Ngāi Tahu Property, and Queenstown Lakes District Council are coming together to create a new community, centred around affordable housing and close to the centre of the city.
“This is a huge opportunity for the Queenstown. We desperately need affordable and flexible housing here.
“I want to acknowledge our partners, Ngāi Tahu Property and Queenstown Lakes District Council, and their shared vision for an affordable Queenstown, that is not just a playground for the well-off, but also a place where people on middle and lower incomes can find a place to live,” Phil Twyford.
