However, the decision to halt the Charity House project will not close the door on the learning and practical hands-on collaborative opportunities for our carpentry and electrical trades and He Toki students. 

Otago Polytechnic plans to continue building three houses each year on site at our Dunedin campus.  These will be sold at cost to the community, and we will continue to actively work with community organisations we can support through this mahi. 

The Charity House initiative was set up by Otago Polytechnic nearly two decades ago, and saw one of the houses built each year by our trades students sold at auction to the general public (after being “dressed” with interior materials by local companies, including curtains and carpets).

Any profit made on the sale of these houses was gifted to the Catalytic Foundation, which distributes the money on to local charities throughout Otago. 

However, the rising costs of materials has unfortunately made this initiative financially unsustainable. 

Since Covid-19, our loyal suppliers have been unable to offer us the same level of discounts on building materials or significant gifted components. At the same time, we have faced a large increase in compliance costs. 

Houses have also become more difficult to sell due to the instability of the economy and the housing market, which has meant Otago Polytechnic is no longer breaking even on the builds, resulting in no surplus profit which we can donate to charity.

Despite the end of this project, we will still be able to work alongside most of the suppliers we worked with on the Charity House, who will continue to supply materials for our three onsite student-built houses.  

Our trades teams will also explore other opportunities for our students to work on projects that benefit the community, like our recent partnership with Otepoti-Dunedin Whānau Refuge which saw our He Toki ākonga building outdoor picnic tables for use at the organisation’s safe house. 

We are hoping to finish the long-running project on a high with the auction on Saturday 15 November, which will mark the 19th and final Charity House sale.