A social housing project built on the site of Oxford Terrace Baptist Church has been named Best House Aotearoa 2026 by Here magazine. It was designed by Andrew Barrie, a professor of architecture at the University of Auckland, and funded by the church itself.
The development has 11 homes where about 50 people live, including 17 children: students, church staff, former refugees and migrants, and people from the social housing waiting list. It also includes offices for a social service agency.
Residents share a central cloister, a vegetable garden, an orchard and other common spaces, and each home has a small private garden. The idea began in a fourth-year architecture design course, and a third stage with more homes and community spaces is due to start construction in 2027.
