First Uku residents arrive at Kerepeti

Two first home buyers are among the first residents moving into the new homes in the Kerepeti development managed by Ngāi Tahu Property at Hobsonville Point.

Blake Hollamby and Millie Hubbard wanted to invest in a house together rather than continue paying rent. But they never thought their budget would stretch to a newly-built home in Auckland.

The recently finished two-bedroom home in the Uku neighbourhood at Kerepeti secures their future in the city.

Blake, a Royal New Zealand Navy engineer, and Millie, a business management and marketing student, initially considered buying a rental property in Tauranga. But after talking with their bank they found they might be able afford a house in Auckland after all.

They began looking at some of the affordable Axis apartments on offer at Hobsonville Point. But then they discovered a newly built two bedroom-plus-study home in Uku was also within budget.

As well as escaping Auckland’s high-stress rental market, Blake says a worry-free start to home ownership in a new-build house was a big selling point.

“What attracted us was that our home in Uku will be dry and warm all year round and comes with the builder’s guarantees.”

Blake and Millie are keen to meet their neighbours and explore what’s on offer in the local community.

“Now we are going to have our own home,” Blake says. “Thank you, Ngāi Tahu Property and Kerepeti, for the opportunity.”

Kerepeti at Hobsonville Point offers homes to suit a range of lifestyles and life-stages in two neighbourhoods - Uku and the nearby Kerewhenua.

Ngāi Tahu Property, in partnership with the New Zealand Super Fund and New Ground Capital, saw Kerepeti as an opportunity to use its expertise in the Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland region after successfully completing a range of neighbourhoods for Ōtautahi-Christchurch since the 2010-2011 earthquakes. It has also completed a variety of residential, commercial and civic projects around Te Waipounamu – the South Island.

Lifestyle

Hobsonville Point’s vibrant community has plenty of activities on offer – a busy weekend market, cafes and restaurants and handy access to the harbour, reserves and walkways for outdoor adventures.

The Uku and Kerewhenua neighbourhoods are also a short, safe walk away from the Hobsonville Point Primary and Hobsonville Point Secondary schools.

Having that Hobsonville Point “buzz” right on their doorstep was what attracted Jay and Lidia Nato to Kerepeti.

The couple found their new home after popping into the Kerepeti office earlier this year after visiting the Catalina Bay Famers’ Market.

They had been looking at apartments but were won over by the modern terrace house being built within Uku.

Jay and Lidia have now moved into their brand-new two-bedroom home which they say has a “lot of light as opposed to where we lived before”.

The Nato’s decision to leave Brazil to live in Auckland 18 years ago was a “great move for us” and Jay expects the move to Kerepeti is another one.

“There’s really lots of things for you to do here – the farmers’ market, banks, pharmacies, restaurants, supermarkets,” he says. “We always had our minds set that we would live in Hobsonville Point.”

Click here to find out more about Kerepeti.