Residents pitch tents at vacant Kāinga Ora block to block sale

On a chilly Wellington evening, about 80 residents and supporters camped overnight on the vacant Nuku Street site, pitching ten tents to oppose the imminent sale of 36 Kāinga Ora homes in Strathmore. Protest leader Lizzie Pringle explained the sleep-out aims to keep the land for public housing and noted an invitation to Kāinga Ora chief Tracey Taylor for a breakfast meeting that has yet to be answered. The action follows an open letter signed by ten organisations, including Wellington City Mission and the Catholic Archdiocese, demanding the sale be stopped.

Kāinga Ora regional director Sarah Willson reiterated that the agency has no plans to review the transaction, stating the properties were sold after determining redevelopment was not financially viable. She added that proceeds will be reinvested in new social housing projects that better meet tenant needs. The protesters hope the overnight demonstration will persuade the agency to retain the site for public housing.