Reposted with permission from Te Toi Mahana
Te Toi Mahana, Wellington’s largest residential landlord and leading provider of affordable homes, has appointed Homestead as contractor to deliver its first development.
Working in partnership with Te Toi Mahana, Homestead will deliver 23 brand new affordable homes at Crofton Downs in Pōneke. These will be the first on Te Toi Mahana’s journey towards building 500 new homes over the next ten years.
Quality of design and construction sits at the heart of the approach taken by Te Toi Mahana. The size and fit-out of all new homes will exceed national building regulations and will be constructed to Homestar 6 standards. The development includes green communal spaces and shared planters, secure and covered mobility scooter charging docks and cycle parking. Close to public transport and local amenities, they are expected to deliver a boost of at least $1.5m to the local economy over their lifespan.
Based in Levin and operating since 1976, Homestead specialises in end-to-end ‘Design & Build’ construction, with a strong track-record of delivering multi-unit residential schemes across the Wellington region.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Homestead,” said Jonathan Manns, Chief Executive of Te Toi Mahana, “they have a great track-record of delivering good quality developments on time and budget. They also share our community-first approach, embedding mana whenua partnerships and local contractors at every opportunity.”
“Te Toi Mahana and Homestead are partnering with Te Āti Awa to incorporate culturally responsive design elements into the new homes and to support apprenticeships through Whitireia and WelTec. We are jointly supporting an industry-aligned, fully funded, 17-week work-site experience through the Māori & Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) initiative” explained Manns.
“In addition,” he continued, “Te Toi Mahana and Homestead will also be partnering with Ngāti Toa to engage with the Ngā Puna Pūkenga programme which offers mana-enhancing employment to local contractors as part of the development of these homes.”
Ngā Puna Pūkenga is a fully funded Ministry of Social Development (MSD) programme delivered through Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira that provides wage subsidies and structured training support for eligible employees.
“Homestead is excited to be collaborating with Te Toi Mahana in the delivery of new, healthy, high-quality and affordable homes for whānau in Wellington,” said Matthew Hart, Pre-Construction Manager at Homestead. “We’re closely aligned with Te Toi Mahana in our shared aspiration to demonstrate what best practice looks like through the design and build process.”
The new homes are anticipated to be completed in April 2027.
Site blessing at Te Toi Mahana’s Crofton Downs development
At a beautiful dawn ceremony on 27th March our first new development site was blessed by our partners Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika.
The blessing was for the pre-construction phase of Te Toi Mahana’s first housing development in Crofton Downs that will create 23 brand new affordable homes for whānau in Pōneke.
The blessing was attended by Mana Whenua, local MPs, Councillors, construction partners Homestead Construction, as well as many community partners from across Pōneke.
The project is the first homes being built by Te Toi Mahana since we were established in 2023 and the first step towards our goal to deliver 500 affordable homes over the next ten years in Wellington.
As part of the project Te Toi Mahana is partnering with Te Āti Awa to incorporate culturally responsive design elements into the new homes, as week as working with Whitireia and WelTec on a fully funded, 17-week work-site apprenticeship programme through the Māori & Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) initiative.
Te Toi Mahana is also partnering with Ngāti Toa to engage with their Ngā Puna Pūkenga programme which offers mana-enhancing employment to local contractors as part of the development of these homes.
About the new homes:
- 23 brand-new, healthy homes for whānau in Wellington
- 2 two-bedroom townhouses and 21 one-bedroom apartments
- Green communal spaces with planter boxes, secure & covered mobility scooter charging docks and bicycle parking
- Across the road from a train station and walking distance to local amenities, including a library, supermarkets, town centre, bus routes, community centre & schools.
- Designed to meet Homestar 6
- First homes to open in early 2027
Pictured: Site blessing 27 March 2026
