Mead said the infrastructure costs that developers must meet, directly or indirectly, could be so high that projects were not financially viable.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome growth areas are also dependent on infrastructure investment by other agencies that have not yet been confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
An aerial shot of Te Tumu, P\u0101p\u0101moa, that is set to be developed into housing. Photo \/ SmartGrowth<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Government expected to deliver 300 new social homes in the Bay of Plenty<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of these, 85% would be one or two-bedroom homes.<\/p>\n They would be delivered by community housing providers Accessible Properties and Emerge Aotearoa.<\/p>\n Ministry of Housing and Urban Development data recorded 1856 public homes in Tauranga as of February 2026.<\/p>\n The ministry said the four suburbs with the highest concentration of tenants were Gate P\u0101, Parkvale, Tauranga South and Welcome Bay.<\/p>\n There were 154 transitional housing places in Tauranga as of February 2026.<\/p>\n K\u0101inga Ora regional director for Waikato and Bay of Plenty Mark Rawson said the agency had 684 homes in Tauranga.<\/p>\n This included state homes that it owned but were managed by another provider. <\/p>\n He said K\u0101inga Ora<\/a> owned a total of 2646 Bay of Plenty homes. Of these, 1084 were two-bedroom, while 873 had three bedrooms, and 332 had one bedroom. <\/p>\n Rawson said the agency would provide 115 new homes across the Bay of Plenty by the end of June.<\/p>\n Nineteen would be in Tauranga.<\/p>\n The agency expected to deliver 48 new homes, including six in Tauranga, by the end of the 2027 financial year.<\/p>\n Accessible Properties had 1123 homes in its Tauranga social housing portfolio and 130 in Te Puke.<\/p>\n Nigel Smith, its general manager of acquisitions, development and leasing, said 5% were one-bedrooms and 95% had two or more bedrooms.<\/p>\n The availability of suitable sections and the needs of those on the housing register determined where new homes were built.<\/p>\n There were 29 units being built in Tauranga.<\/p>\n Construction would begin on 19 more in the next three months, plus 19 in Te Puke.<\/p>\n These new builds would mean Accessible Properties <\/a>had delivered 174 new homes in Tauranga and Te Puke since 2019.<\/p>\n Of these, 94 were accessible for tenants with mobility or accessibility needs.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is on smaller, targeted projects rather than large-scale initiatives in Tauranga.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the proposed large-scale Pukehinahina redevelopment project<\/a> in Gate P\u0101 stalled because of financial risk.<\/p>\n The Bay of Plenty Housing Equity Fund, launched in 2024 to provide affordable and sustainable housing<\/a>, was delivering 218 homes across 11 housing projects.<\/p>\n Of these homes, 105 were in Tauranga.<\/p>\n Managing director Roy Thompson said 83% were one or two-bedroom homes. <\/p>\n \u201cHalf of these are currently under construction, with the balance being in planning and consenting.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the fund had committed about 60% of available capital.<\/p>\n The fund\u2019s focus was on delivering homes for the households that needed them most.<\/p>\n The fund had committed to buying 21 units in the Smiths Farm housing development<\/a>, previously owned by Tauranga City Council, but sold to Venture Developments in 2024.<\/p>\n He said the fund focused on the households that fell between the cracks \u2013 \u201cthose who earn too much to qualify for social housing but not enough to comfortably afford market rents\u201d.<\/p>\nK\u0101inga Ora’s regional director for Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Mark Rawson. Photo \/ K\u0101inga Ora<\/p>\n
An image depicting Accessible Properties’ discontinued Pukehinahina Project in Gate P\u0101. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Bay of Plenty Housing Equity Fund manager Roy Thompson.<\/p>\n