Our Whare Our Fale wins national community and affordable housing award

Photo credit: David Hensel

Our Whare Our Fale in eastern Porirua has been named winner of the Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Community and Affordable Housing Property Award at this evening’s Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.

Our Whare Our Fale reimagines the Pacific Village in Aotearoa. It is a culturally grounded housing model designed to transform life outcomes for Pasifika communities through the opportunity of homeownership, while keeping people connected to community, whenua and each other.

Located at 18 Castor Crescent in Porirua, the first stage of the development delivers 18 intergenerational, affordable and sustainable homes on a 3,000sqm site, anchored by a central malae and common fale. Led by Central Pacific Collective in partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira, the wider programme is intended to deliver up to 300 homes for Pacific families.

Property Council New Zealand Chief Executive Leonie Freeman says Our Whare Our Fale is a powerful reminder that housing is never just a transaction.

“Our Whare Our Fale is grounded in Pacific ways of living, but its lessons are much wider. More than housing, it embodies the principle of anoafale: true value lies not in the house itself but in the relationships that bind it together.

“This project shows how housing can be designed around family structure, shared space, financial confidence and community leadership. It cleverly melds the cultural dimension with modern construction and the environment that’s been created is truly special.”

Our Whare Our Fale was developed by Central Pacific Collective, constructed by Southcoast Construction, with architectural leadership from Elyjana Roach of Central Pacific Collective and architecture support from First Light Studio.

The design draws on the Pacific village, with a central malae and common fale creating shared space for gathering, connection and everyday community life. The project is grounded in the Pacific principle of vā – the relational space between people, place and environment – and reflects the principle of anoafale, where value is understood through the relationships that hold a home together.

Chief Judge Andy Evans says the judges were impressed by the delivery model as much as the built outcome.

“It brings together affordable housing, cultural design, financial literacy and local leadership in a way that directly supports broader social outcomes. The homes matter, but so does the system around them.”

Evans says the project stood apart in a category that asks for developments to prove genuine community benefit.

“This is the kind of project New Zealand should be paying attention to. It shows how community-based delivery can create a path to home ownership. It is local, it is culturally grounded, and it has the potential to be replicated with the right people and partnerships in place.”

Sustainability is also embedded in the project, with solar contributing to strong performance outcomes and supporting long-term affordability for residents.

Freeman says Our Whare Our Fale reflects the kind of innovation needed in New Zealand’s housing system.

“The housing challenge cannot be solved by supply alone. We need models that understand people’s lives in full – how families live, how communities hold together, and what support is needed before and after the keys are handed over. Our Whare Our Fale brings those pieces together with a model that is guided by collective wisdom.”

The wider project team included Certa as structural engineer, Ortus International as quantity surveyor and Central Pacific Collective as project manager.

Now in its 36th year, the Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards celebrate excellence in design, innovation and investment across the built environment. This year’s Awards were held at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, which was also recognised on the night as winner of the Holmes Tourism and Leisure Property Award.

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