More than 65 new social homes will be delivered in Canterbury, Housing Minister Chris Bishop has announced.

The homes will be built in suburbs including Somerfield, Linwood and Merivale, and delivered by organisations such as Christchurch Methodist Mission and Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust.

The Minister will next week officially open some new ŌCHT homes in Somerfield.

Four homes have already been completed, with the remaining homes due from early 2026.

More than 80 percent of the new builds will be one and two-bedroom units, aimed at addressing Canterbury’s biggest social housing shortfall.

According to Mr Bishop, 88 percent of the region’s housing register demand is for smaller homes, yet only 12 percent of Kāinga Ora’s stock nationwide are one-bedroom properties.

“Every set of keys handed over is another person or family in a warm, dry social home,” Mr Bishop said. “We’re focused on building the right homes in the right places, with the right support.”

Since November 2023, CHPs and Kāinga Ora have delivered over 6,800 net new social homes nationwide, including 837 in Canterbury.

The Government has also committed funding for more than 2,000 additional homes through CHPs over the next two years.