Information for developers

The Buying off the Plans initiative

The Buying off the Plans Initiative is part of a broad government strategy to facilitate and expedite the development of new and more affordable residential homes in New Zealand.

The initiative involves the Crown underwriting homes in new residential developments led by the construction sector on privately owned or Kāinga Ora land. The underwrite gives developers the backing and certainty required to deliver developments that may otherwise have not proceeded or at a greater pace than originally planned.

In return, an agreed number of the underwritten homes are sold at more affordable price points.

Register your interest

KiwiBuild is currently accepting registrations of interest from experienced residential developers who are willing to deliver turnkey, affordable homes at scale. If you have a development or construction project you would like to be considered for the initiative, you can submit your application through the Buying off the Plans Invitation to Participate (ITP)(external link).

As part of the consideration process, KiwiBuild assesses several factors that ensure the right developers are engaged in building quality homes for New Zealanders that advance the KiwiBuild programme's objectives. These criteria include:

  • The developer's track record
  • That the right types of homes will be built
  • That the homes will be built in the right place
  • That the homes will be available at the right price points

The commercial terms negotiated for KiwiBuild underwrites are assessed by Kāinga Ora on a case-by-case basis, and are subject to various factors – most significantly the market conditions and the KiwiBuild price caps at the time.

The ITP process documents outline all mandatory and discretionary requirements, and can be downloaded from the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS)(external link).

You will need to create a GETS account by registering as a Supplier(external link) before you can submit your application.

If you have any questions about the initiative or registration process, you can contact the KiwiBuild Buying off the Plans team at underwrite@kiwibuild.govt.nz.

Page updated: 24 May 2021