Housing Support Manager

Kainga Ora; Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community; On-site; NZD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

competitive salaries

five weeks' annual leave

benefits package including insurances

flexible working arrangements

career development

Job summary

Kainga Ora in Christchurch seeks a Housing Support Manager to work with customers and whānau, ensuring housing and wellbeing needs are met now and as they change. You will visit Kāinga Ora homes, build lasting relationships, handle rent arrears, and engage with stakeholders to tailor services while maintaining a supportive team environment.

We value courageous conversations, cultural awareness, and the ability to work across diverse communities including Māori and Pasifika, with a focus on

Qualifications

• Relationship-building with customers from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to de-escalate highly emotional situations and problem-solve
• Experience handling rent arrears and debt recovery
• Willingness to collaborate in a busy high-performing team
• Knowledge of Residential Tenancy Act is an advantage

Responsibilities

• Provide housing and wellbeing support to customers and whānau
• Visit Kāinga Ora homes and attend stakeholder meetings
• Support rent arrears and debt recovery for tenants
• Hold courageous conversations and manage challenging scenarios
• Collaborate with a team to deliver tailored services

Skills

Relationship-building

De-escalation

Rent arrears handling

Stakeholder engagement

Driver's license

Tools

Housing management systems

Job description

• Support customers and whānau to achieve housing and social stability
• Build meaningful relationships and make a lasting impact in your community
• Permanent opportunity based in Christchurch with 5 weeks' annual leave + other benefits

Housing Support Manager, you will work directly with a portfolio of our customers and their whānau, building enriching and enduring relationships to ensure customers' housing and wellbeing needs are being met and continue to be met as they change over time.

You will be supporting some of our low and medium needs customers and manage some disruptive behaviour situations as well. You will be skilled in holding difficult and courageous conversations with our customers and stakeholders when the situation demands.

You will visit our customers at their Kāinga Ora homes and, from time to time, attend meetings with key stakeholders to ensure tailored support and services stay in place for our customers and their whānau.

You will also be required to work with our tenants on rent arrears and debt collection/recovery.

If you have the ability to build strong relationships, have courageous conversations and a genuine desire to transform our communities, then we would love to hear from you.

Here's what you will bring to the role:

• You'll be a natural relationship-builder, relating to customers from all backgrounds and all walks of life
• You'll be skilled at de-escalating highly emotional situations and conversations, with the ability to problem solve and understand the reasons behind customer issues
• You'll be comfortable and skilled to work on rent arrears and debt recovery
• You'll be technically savvy and able to quickly learn new tools and systems
• Experience in tenancy, emergency or social housing space will be an added advantage
• You'll have the ability to work collaboratively in a busy, high performing team
• It will be an added advantage if you have knowledge of the Residential Tenancy Act.

We need people who care as much as we do and are passionate about supporting customers who may have challenging housing and wellbeing needs. Your cultural awareness will foster an aligned approach to our customers' aspirations and preferences, particularly in working with Māori and Pasifika.

As this role requires travelling around the local area, you will have a current, full clean NZ's driver's licence (pool vehicle provided).

Nōu te rourou - What's in it for you?

• competitive salaries
• five weeks' annual leave
• benefits package including a range of insurances, flexible working arrangements and career development

These benefits are described in more detail here https://careers.kaingaora.govt.nz/a-great-place-to-work/benefits.

As a Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities employee, we want to make sure you have all the tools and support you need. We want to ensure you are healthy and have work-life balance. We also want to support and grow your personal and career development through on-the-job learning, training courses, secondments and study opportunities.

At Kāinga Ora, our mahi sits at the heart of Aotearoa’s housing system. Every day, we help shape how our customers live today and into the future. It’s meaningful mahi, and we’re transforming how we work so we can deliver even better outcomes.

Our transformation focuses on three things:

• Our future – building a high performing organisation that delivers quality housing for generations
• Our tenants – warm, dry, well-maintained homes and the right support to help people live well
• Our people – simple processes, modern technology and opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.

Guided by our values, we work together, put customers at the centre and continually challenge ourselves to be better.

Kńinga Ora is a place where people feel valued and supported. You’ll find opportunities to grow your skills and build a career you’re proud of, with fair pay and flexible ways of working that support both our people and our customers.

Our values were developed by us, for us. They unite us as an organisation and guide how we work every day. Our values are:

• Manaakitanga – People at the Heart
• Whanake – Be Bold

Applications close on Sunday 11 October 2026 at 11:55pm.

As part of our commitment to supporting employees through organisational change, affected Kāinga Ora employees will be considered for vacancies in the first instance.

We value diversity and are committed to working with each other and our customers in an inclusive and respectful way. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and appreciate the richness of experience that your point of difference brings to the organisation.

Unlock job insights

Hirer responsiveness Salary match Number of applicants