Te Kāinga is an Affordable Rental Programme with the aim of providing secure, affordable and long term rental accommodation in Wellington. It supports those on medium to lower incomes who may otherwise find it difficult to access appropriate housing options in the city.

Council resolved to update the criteria on 8 December 2022. This included making certain industries that created the most jobs for the city a priority, as per the Council’s Economic Wellbeing Strategy. These are:

• Public sector
• Public transport
• Hospitality
• Tourism
• Healthcare
• Education and training

In making the above change to the criteria the Council also added the following industries:

• Māori organisations
• The arts
• Start-ups.

Te Kāinga Aroha (197 Willis Street) has 52 apartments and opened in March 2021.

Te Kāinga Te Aka (203 Willis Street) has 48 apartments and opened in June 2022. 6 apartments with accessible features are available from March 2023. 

Te Kāinga Te Pu (180 Willis Street) has 74 apartments that are available from March 2023. 

Rents may vary slightly from building to building depending on the facilities available at that building and the size of the units.

Rents are assessed against the Wellington Housing Affordability Model that helps us understand what housing is affordable and for whom. Rents will be assessed annually. Rent increases will be kept to a minimum and only when it is necessary to ensure the programme continues to have no impact on ratepayers. Increases will not be linked to market rent. This means the apartments remain more affordable than private market rentals over time. This gives our tenants added financial certainty as well as security of tenure.

Anyone can apply for a Te Kāinga apartment but applications are prioritised based on the following criteria:

• People on incomes under $95,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a couple or family who are not eligible for income related rent.
• People who do not own their own home.
• People who work in or intend to work in:
  
  • Public sector
  • Public transport
  • Hospitality
  • Tourism
  • Healthcare
  • Education and training
  • Māori organisations
  • The arts
  • Start-ups.

Where there is more demand than we have available units, applicants will be selected by ballot.

We will review the criteria over time to ensure the programme continues to meet the needs of the city.

Applicants meeting all three criteria will be the highest priority for an apartment. If there are more applications than available apartments, a ballot is held to ensure equitable opportunity for applicants.

Yes, if you meet all of the criteria then you are our highest priority but you don’t have to meet all the criteria to apply and all potential applicants are welcome to contact us to discuss their circumstances prior to applying. Email the team: [email protected]

You will need to provide your name, contact details, photo ID and 2 referees which will preferably include a current or former landlord. If you state you meet the criteria, you will need to provide evidence of this which is detailed on the application form. 

Wellington City Council is the landlord for the programme. There is a dedicated team within the Council that run the Te Kāinga programme. We provide a 24 hr service for urgent maintenance and our team are available during business hours to respond to tenants.

We want our tenants to stay with us as long as they’d like and call our apartments home. All our tenancies are periodic tenancies with no specified end date. If tenants want to leave, they just need to give us 4 weeks notice.

Te Kāinga buildings are smoke free and this includes the apartments as well as all common areas and shared spaces such as entranceways, corridors, stairwells etc.

Pets are not permitted in Te Kāinga apartments.

There is no parking available inTe Kāinga apartments, however they are all located in central locations within Wellington CBD. There are nearby public transport options and lots of essential amenities close by. There are also private parking options that can be explored for example, monthly parking in a private car park.

All apartments have appliances provided. This Includes a fridge freezer, oven and rangehood, washing machine/dryer and dishwasher.

All Te Kāinga buildings have secure door entry systems, restricted access for residents only and CCTV for tenant’s safety and security.

There are a number of apartments currently with accessible features such as wet shower room, grab rails, lowered bench/kitchen sink and lowered sockets and switches. Apartments that are designed for wheelchair users with more accessible features are being considered in future Te Kāinga projects.

We do not currently have transfer options available, however we do intend to consider this once more buildings are completed under the programme. In the future we would like to be able to accommodate households remaining with the programme as needs change or families grow.

This may differ between buildings but all costs will be clearly advertised with the available apartment. Tenants are responsible for costs such as power, gas heating of hot water (applicable in some Te Kāinga buildings), fibre broadband if desired etc. Included in the rent are items such as white wear, rubbish collection, WiFi and bicycle storage.