Auckland charitable trust fights to keep Manurewa centre

An Auckland charitable trust is urging the Government not to convert its Manurewa hub into social housing and instead extend its lease four more years.

The Pride Project has asked Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka to reconsider the future of its Kāinga Ora-owned base at 60 Maplesden Drive, after the Government decided not to renew its lease.

Instead, Kāinga Ora would use the property for social housing after the lease expired.

Pride Project chief executive Luella Linaker sent a letter to the ministers pleading the community-led support initiative's case on April 28.

"We respectfully ask that this decision be reviewed and that the lease be renewed, given the significant role this space plays in supporting our community," Linaker wrote.

Linaker told Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) the organisation had recently received a letter from the Manurewa Local Board formally confirming a one-year lease extension, allowing it to remain at the site until 30 June 2027.

The Pride Project chief executive Luella Linaker says the one-year lease extension gives the organisation time to secure a longer-term home for its Manurewa services. Photo/File

The one-year extension is shorter than the four-year lease the organisation sought during a July deputation to the Manurewa Local Board.

Linaker's letter to the ministers acknowledges the pressure to maximise social housing, but argues the building is unsuitable for residential use.

"The building does not have a functioning kitchen or bathing facilities, and the hot water system is extremely limited," Linaker wrote.

The Pride Project's Manurewa base at 60 Maplesden Drive, which has been granted a one-year lease extension until 30 June 2027. Photo/Google Maps

"Considerable investment would be required to bring it up to a standard suitable for a family to live in."

Linaker argued the building was already serving as a vital community hub.

The letter outlines services delivered from the site, including family support, youth programmes, school attendance initiatives, free barber services, food parcels, support for grandparents raising grandchildren and programmes focused on preventing family violence.

More than 2800 people accessed services through the community house during 2025, the letter says.

"Losing this space would significantly impact our ability to deliver these services and would leave a gap in support for many vulnerable families in Manurewa," Linaker wrote.

In May, The Pride Project appeared before the Manurewa Local Board while community house leases were under consideration, advising members it would return for a full deputation in July.

The Pride Project says it supported 2,246 people and recorded 2,804 visits to its Manurewa community hub in 2025. Photo/The Pride Project

During the meeting, Linaker outlined the organisation's work across Manurewa and said the site felt like going to someone’s house rather than an office, which meant more people came in.

She later said relationships build trust and that a corporate or commercial building would lose that dynamic.

LDR later reported on the organisation's July deputation, in which The Pride Project sought a four-year lease, arguing it needed greater certainty to continue delivering services from the site.

Angela Clarke, Auckland Council's head of service investment and programming, said the Manurewa Local Board made the decision after considering factors including the building's location, cost and usage.

"The lease was due to expire 30 June 2023 and the local board advocated for an additional three years which took the lease through to 30 June 2026.

"This year, through advocacy and collaboration between the council and Kāinga Ora we were able extend the lease by one more year to give Pride Project time to move to another site or to consolidate their premises."

Linaker said the one-year extension provided some certainty, giving the organisation until 30 June 2027 to secure alternative premises rather than facing a much earlier deadline.

Auckland Council says the one-year extension was intended to give The Pride Project time to move to another site or consolidate its premises.

Kāinga Ora has previously said the lease arrangements had been settled with Auckland Council and it did not intend to revisit them through the media.

The Government housing agency later confirmed it had nothing further to add.

The Manurewa Local Board, which has confirmed a one-year extension of The Pride Project's lease at 60 Maplesden Drive until 30 June 2027. Photo/Auckland Council

The office of Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka confirmed a one-year lease between Kāinga Ora and Auckland Council for the Maplesden Drive site had been fully executed and would run until 30 June 2027.

"A lease between Kāinga Ora and Auckland Council has been fully executed for this site (Maplesden Dr). This is a one-year lease through to 30 June 2027. Any questions about what arrangements Council might then have with a group should be directed to Auckland Council," the minister's office said.

The office did not respond to questions about whether the ministers had considered The Pride Project's April letter, whether either minister was considering any action in response to the request, whether the Government had considered the community services delivered from the site, or whether it would reconsider retaining the property as a community facility.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.