The site at 356-402 Brougham Street was previously a large social housing complex called Brougham Village, where 89 homes were demolished following the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. It was the largest building project commissioned by ŌCHT since its establishment in 2016 and while being built was the largest development of its kind under construction for an NGO in New Zealand.

The three stages - KORIMAKO Lane, KARORO Lane and HOIHO Lane - are three distinctly different communities. Hoiho has 30 homes, Karoro 32 and Korimako 28, totalling ninety Homestar 7 homes. Each has been completed and opened every 2-3 months since the first in February 2021.

Land for the development was transferred to ŌCHT as part of the 2014 Housing Accord Agreement between Christchurch City Council and the Government to capitalise the Trust. The complex will be owned and managed by ŌCHT.

Overall, the Brougham St development consists of 70 x 1-bedroom homes, 3 x 3-bedroom homes, 14 x 2-bedroom homes and 3 x 4-bedroom homes. A dozen homes have been designed so they can be converted to provide accessible bathrooms at a future date, to meet accessible home requirements.

Trust CEO, Cate Kearney, says “ŌCHT built or repurposed 60 homes last year and with 90 so far this year, the Trust is making a real difference to increasing modern, warm and dry social housing stock although many more homes are still needed.”

Southbase built the new homes and CEO, Quin Henderson, says the development showcases how community and social housing providers, together with their construction partners, can effectively respond to New Zealand’s housing crisis.

“It’s been a pleasure working with ŌCHT,” he says. “They embraced our design and build construction technology, including our off-site manufacturing. This helped us accelerate the construction programme, reduce waste on-site, and bring these homes to the community faster. It is incredibly satisfying to work on a project that sees individuals and families have the opportunity for a fresh start, to feel safe and warm, and to grow and thrive.”

An onsite e-bike and electric car share scheme for tenants will also be launched on Friday. It’s the first of its kind in the country and could influence the way other communities are designed.

Access to Hoiho Lane is from Hastings Street West, off Burlington Street.