A vocal crowd filled with whānau, community members and organisations took to the streets on Tuesday morning to protest the proposed closure of the Rawiri Community House following Kāinga Ora’s decision to reclaim the three-bedroom whare that has been used as a space to support the community since 2013.
Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities (KO) gave the community service an eviction notice last year, their last day set for June 30, saying they need the home due to housing demands to house one whānau.
Supporters carried a petition to the doorstep of the Kāinga Ora office in Manukau, which has accumulated over 5,000 signatures online and on paper, calling for the decision to be reversed.
Liz Kiriona, co-founder of the house, says it was a peaceful protest.
“There were three of them up there [in the office], and we understand it’s not them. They’re not making the decisions; they’re actually stuck in the middle of it. But they received our petitions with open arms and a hug. They promised us that it will get handed where they need to go,” says Kiriona.
In statement, Kāinga Ora confirmed that the property is leased to Auckland Council who sub lease it to RaWiri Community House.
“In 2023, we confirmed with Council there would be no further extensions to their lease. In February 2025, we began working alongside them to plan for the return of the property ahead of the lease expiring on 30 June 2026. We also committed to working with Council over this transition period and this will continue”
“We have not made the decision to end Auckland Council’s lease lightly, but our core mission is to provide social housing. In this part of Auckland, there are more than 2,400 applicants on the Ministry of Social Development’s Housing Register waiting for a home. Nearly all our homes – over 99 percent – are tenanted. This three-bedroom home is needed to house whanau who currently don’t have a place to live."
According to the Ministry of Social Development records, there are currently 6,500–6,800 households on the Housing Register in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson, who attended the rally, says South Aucklanders deserve to have both social and community housing and has vowed that if elected will increase support to whānau needing housing.
“This government has cancelled housing developments all across Auckland and South Auckland. The Greens have already released a budget and costing to show that we would invest for 40,000 more public houses, meaning we wouldn’t have to remove Rāwiri Community House from the community,” she said.
Ministers Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka were invited by Kiriona and organisers to receive the petition, but they did not attend. Kiriona says she would return to delivering the service out of her garage if she had to.
“Our march is just the beginning - it’s not over till it’s over. How do I feel? Pretty heavy. Pretty heavy because it’s not just about our whare but what’s going to happen to our whānau. Where are they going to go?”
