An inclusive neighbourhood in New Brighton
Te Pākau Maru is a neighbourhood of 63 homes in New Brighton, Christchurch, brought to life by the Home Foundation group. Its name, gifted in te reo Māori, means sheltering place, and that is what it was built to be: somewhere households at different stages of life can put down roots. Built across three long-vacant sites near the town centre, it turned empty ground into homes and added to New Brighton’s regeneration.
Te Wawata Kāinga cares for Te Pākau Maru through our Integrated Housing Management service, looking after the homes, tenancies, and community, so residents have one team to turn to.
It has been recognised twice: runner-up at the Dulux Colour Awards, and Highly Commended in the Community and Affordable Housing category at the Property Industry Awards.
- 63 terraced homes (1 to 4 bedrooms)
- Around 171 residents
- Homestar 7 rated
- Raised over 1.5m above ground for coastal flood resilience
- $29m development across three New Brighton sites
Te Pākau Maru was designed to feel like one community, not a collection of separate parts. The homes are terraces of one to four bedrooms, all built to the same standard. What mattered was simple: a warm, well-made home for everyone, in a community they feel part of.
The coast shaped the design. Homes are raised to stay dry through coastal flooding, with entrances, steps, and planted approaches that give the streets a human scale, and built from durable materials suited to salt air. Five are intergenerational homes, with a ground-floor bedroom and accessible bathroom so families can stay together as their needs change.
Te Pākau Maru was never only about houses; it was about the people who would fill them. There is real warmth in a neighbourhood where different people live side by side, and being close to the beach and wider New Brighton makes it easy to feel part of something beyond your own street.
How we care for Te Pākau Maru
At Te Pākau Maru we provide Integrated Housing Management: property, tenancy, and community support delivered as one service, for every home.
The first side is the property. We coordinate maintenance and repairs, manage contractors, run inspections, and keep shared spaces and grounds to the same standard as the homes, monitoring Healthy Homes compliance throughout.
The second side is the tenancy: tenant placement and screening, tenancy agreements and bond lodgement, rent collection and arrears, and routine inspections. Where disputes arise, we manage the process through to the Tenancy Tribunal where needed, aiming to resolve things early and fairly.
Alongside the practical side of things, there's a deeper layer to how we work, our community engagement. We employ a dedicated Community Support Worker on the ground with residents, running gatherings, backing the resident-led groups, and connecting people to support when they need it. Because one team looks after all three sides, residents have a single point of contact, and our closeness to the day-to-day means we see what is working and where we can help.
A neighbourhood residents help run
Residents at Te Pākau Maru run a good deal of community life themselves. A resident-led Resident Voice group meets to lead projects, backed by a Community Initiative Fund that puts small grants toward what residents want to build: a mid-winter soup night on the Village Green, shared kai nights, tool-borrowing between neighbours. Regular Resident Nights are shaped by what people ask for.
Because we manage every aspect of Te Pākau Maru, we stay tied to these initiatives firsthand. We connect them with partners such as Compassion Trust, and make sure support is there when people want to run their own ideas. Nearby events like Carols in the Community help residents feel part of wider New Brighton life.
What residents tell us
A move-in survey of the first residents shows how the homes are landing:
- 100% say the rent is manageable for their household
- 100% who answered would recommend living at Te Pākau Maru
- 80% report no issues with dampness, mould, or ventilation
- 4.8/5 for reaching shops, healthcare, schools, and transport
As a single mum, it’s been amazing knowing exactly what I’m paying and that I can meet those weekly payments. It’s given me real peace of mind and more time with the girls. The house is super warm, super dry, and affordable. Every morning, they run in and jump on the bed for a cuddle. It’s the perfect place for us, and it really feels like a supportive little community.
– Te Pākau Maru resident
A place with purpose
Te Pākau Maru was built on the belief that a home should do more than keep the weather out. Its name means sheltering place, and that is what it set out to be: houses that are warm, safe, and well made, where people can settle in with dignity and feel, at the end of a long day, at ease.
What sets this place apart is how much of it belongs to the people who live here. A Community Support Worker, local partnerships, and a resident-led group run regular gatherings that help neighbours know and lean on one another. Belonging does not arrive with the keys; it comes slowly, through trust and the ordinary repetition of seeing the same faces.
Te Pākau Maru also turned three long-empty sites near the town centre back into homes, adding to the life of New Brighton rather than sitting apart from it. Built around the people who live there, it shows what is possible when residents help shape a community as it grows.
