Wet weather couldn’t stop more than 60 people checking out the first new Kāinga Ora homes in the Waikōwhai neighbourhood, as part of the Roskill Development.

Armed with free coffee and a sausage sizzle, neighbours and other visitors toured two new homes – a five-bedroom standalone home and three-bedroom duplex – in Glass Road on Saturday, 8 July.

Five homes have been built on the site in total, delivered by Kāinga Ora build partner Precision Construction for Kāinga Ora customers. These include three-bedroom homes, duplexes (where a house shares an external wall with one other) and one five-bedroom home. The site also includes a three-plus one-bedroom home which includes a self-contained ground level unit with its own entrance.

More than a dozen different kinds of trees have been planted throughout the site, and each has its own parking space and outdoor area. All homes were built to 6 Homestar standards, making them warmer and drier, and safe and comfortable for generations to come.

“These homes are absolutely beautiful. I wish I had one,” said a visitor. “Lucky whānau who get to live here.”

Said another: “My kids don’t want to leave. They wish this was their house!”

The Roskill Development team and Kāinga Ora Community Engagement and Housing Support teams were on site to answer questions and chat with the community about the homes and upcoming plans for the area.

Waikōwhai is one of several neighbourhoods set to grow as part of Roskill Development’s 10,000 new homes – bringing a mix of state homes and homes for sale, at market and more affordable prices, such as KiwiBuild.