Kāinga Ora has taken its first step towards low carbon public housing, receiving design endorsement to build 18 homes to Passive House standard in the Mangere Development.  

The three-storey Kāinga Ora homes on Bader Drive and Ventura Street, will deliver a reduced operational carbon footprint, and mean the homes can be heated and cooled for as little as $1 per day.  

Kāinga Ora General Manager Construction and Innovation Patrick Dougherty, says the development will be a win for both the environment and the homes’ new occupants. 

“For Kāinga Ora as a major property developer, Bader Ventura is a big step towards meeting MBIE’s Building for Climate Change 2035 proposed final thermal performance cap. What’s more, this project is due for completion in 2023, 12 years ahead of industry expectation. 

“Our customers living in these homes will have reduced heating costs by around 85 per cent, which means an average heating energy bill of around $360, or $1 a day, compared with about $2,000 for a standard Kāinga Ora home built to 6 Homestar standard.” 



Bader Ventura is the first Passive House pilot development for Kāinga Ora and the first in its Carbon Neutral Housing Programme. The project is also on track to deliver Australasia’s first Passive House public housing development funded by a central government. 

Kāinga Ora will undertake continuous reporting of performance and learnings throughout construction and post occupancy, sharing findings with the wider industry.

Chelydra Percy, BRANZ CEO, says the desire to take meaningful climate and environmental action is evident within the construction sector.  

“Kāinga Ora is setting a high standard for others within the building and construction sector. The Bader Ventura development demonstrates that low carbon buildings can, and are being delivered, within New Zealand. The project is an open challenge to our industry, that we all must step up and address our climate change emission reduction obligations now.”   

Passive House is still a new concept in New Zealand, and Kāinga Ora is pleased to be leading lower carbon construction by example alongside the following dedicated project partners: Precision Construction (build partner), Peddlethorp (architects), Oculus (Passive House lead and façade engineers), Kirk Roberts (structural engineers) and 2PIR (building services engineers).