While youngsters stacked Lego bricks into brightly-coloured homes, the Wesley community heard how its own building blocks are falling into place.

About 70 locals stopped in at Roskill Development’s Wesley Information Stall last month so the Kāinga Ora team could share detailed plans for the first stage of the neighbourhood’s development.

New parks, public spaces, local infrastructure and homes on their way were all up for discussion, while visitors enjoyed snacks from Banaadir African Restaurant and all ages got stuck into some Lego building.

And just like the blues, greens, reds and yellows in the Lego kit, Wesley’s future is looking bright.

“We want to make sure that our community – both its residents and our local businesses – are kept informed and actively engaged while we work on Wesley’s transformation over the next 10 years,” says Karla Beazley, Kāinga Ora Community Development and Engagement Coordinator.

“That means taking people through our traffic management plans and showing how our projects are carefully planned to make any disruption as minimal as possible,” Karla says.

“It’s about making sure we’re keeping our community informed, and that residents and business owners know our teams will work with them throughout and bring them on the journey with us.”

Local MP Dr Carlos Cheung, Puketāpapa Local Board members Fiona Lai and Mark Pervan, and Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward Councillor Julie Fairey all joined the Kāinga Ora team at the information day, representing their community and to discuss the development planned for Wesley.

All spoke with local business owners, Kāinga Ora social housing customers and private homeowners from the neighbourhood, many of whom expressed how happy they were to have the Kāinga Ora team there to help them through the process, Karla says.

“Events like this are just one of the ways we can show how dedicated our team is to ensure Kāinga Ora remains a positive member of this community.”