HNZ fixes 212 Christchurch properties

Housing Minister Phil Heatley said: "This is a huge achievement in just six months and I congratulate the corporation. They have done a fantastic job.”

He said many of the houses were severely damaged.

"They have already been matched to tenants, with 105 families placed in refurbished houses across the city. Another 30 families have accepted offers and a further 38 have been matched to prospective tenants. This is great news for families who had to leave their homes last year.”

The work was part of stage one of the corporation's programme to repair or rebuild a significant part of its housing stock in Canterbury and has been achieved within the $19 million budget.

Other corporation projects in Christchurch include building 200-350 new houses on land Housing New Zealand owns around Christchurch.

The first round of tenders has closed and construction of the first homes is expected to start in mid to late 2013.

This is in addition to housing provided by the mixed tenure development initiative announced recently, which will start with the corporation's property at 399 Manchester St.

The corporation is also providing 17 of its houses on TC3 land for a series of trials to find quicker and more affordable options for repairing property foundations, to start within the next two months.