Waipareira Building A Whānau Ora Precinct With Health Facilities & Kaumātua Housing

Te Whānau o Waipareira are developing a Whānau Ora Precinct in Hospital Road, Mangere to provide primary health care services and housing for kaumātua, kuia and physically challenged whānau.

This is a joint venture between Te Whānau o Waipareira and Ngā Tai ki Tāmaki Whenua on the two strategic properties that sit in a subdivision adjacent to Middlemore Hospital and will provide homes, plus a Whānau Ora/Health and Wellness Centre.

The Kaumātua Housing will be inside the red frame with the Whānau Ora Wellness Centre in the larger section above. This project was facilitated through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development housing programme and Te Whānau o Waipareira CE, John Tamihere recognises this will be an immediate gamechanger.

“We have hundreds of kaumātua, kuia and challenged whānau living in temporary, third rate accommodation while they are on waiting lists for homes. And for too long whānau have had to live with a dilapidated hospital facility that is unable to adequately facilitate the needs of the expanding South Auckland population. This is an overdue project that is bringing some much needed relief in both of these crucial areas”.

Te Whānau o Waipareira Director of Property, Jason Wong, knows the location and catchment will make this a successful collaboration.

“We are a registered Community Housing Provider (CHP) and on the most northern site our subsidiary Housing for Social Benefits will be developing 124 mixed typology apartments specifically for kaumātua and physically challenged whānau aged 55 years and over. We identified that there is a significant shortfall of this type of housing in the immediate area. This was evident given the number of regenerative dwellings being undertaken by Kāinga Ora around Māngere, Papatoetoe and Otāhuhu that is within the scope of Middlemore Hospital”.

A whare manaaki is also being developed for all residents regardless of their background to gather, receive support and collectively build their community.

Currently in development to compliment the housing project is a modern health facility with a wide range of wraparound services available to residents and the general public. Te Whānau o Waipareira have over 40 years-experience in this area, something Mr Tamihere knows provides a great blueprint moving forward.

“A Whānau Ora/Health and Wellness Centre is going on the opposite site and will broadly replicate the success of our Henderson based Whānau Centre and soon to be opened, Wai Health clinic. Collectively with Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Whenua our vision is to provide direct primary healthcare support to the wider community and deliver some relief for Middlemore Hospital”.

With the site zoned as residential, Waipareira will be undertaking a plan change to Business Mixed Use for the multitude of potential healthcare and wellness tenancies that could potentially be co-located.

Te Whānau o Waipareira is taking the opportunity to seek expressions of interest to assist in the co design of the Whānau Ora/Health & Wellness Centre. Once the plan change has been completed, specific design of the centre will commence whilst the council processes its application.

Construction is underway on the kaumātua housing site which Mr Wong aims to have fully occupied in 2025 and the Whānau Ora/ Health and Wellness Centre operating in 2027.