The firm considers it a privilege to work on the transaction, one lead partner says
Bell Gully was the legal adviser of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on the formation of the new public housing partnership in western Porirua with Ngāti Toa.
The top firm’s team was headed by partners Hugh Kettle and Angela Harford, who were supported by senior associate Claire Harmsworth and solicitor Philip Zander.
Kettle said that the transaction is a transformational partnership for Kāinga Ora, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and Ngāti Toa. Harford said that the firm considers it a privilege to work on the transaction and that it wishes all three partners every success on what she described as a special partnership.
Under the agreement, which was signed at the Takapūwāhia Marae on 28 November, the iwi’s new community housing provider is Te Āhuru Mōwai. The provider will manage properties and tenancies for more than 900 state-owned homes in western Porirua for 25 years starting 20 July. Ngāti Toa will manage the maintenance and upgrade of the properties to make them warmer and drier for tenants, Bell Gully said.
The new partnership with the iwi is part of the Porirua Development project, Bell Gully said. The project is expected to result in the renewal of 2,900 public houses and the development of at least 2,000 new homes across Porirua City.
