An attempt to speed up new house builds in Porirua

The city's the first in the country funded from the Government 3.8 billion dollar Housing Acceleration Fund.

It's getting 163 million dollars to spend on upgrading old pipes and water infrastructure.

It'll go to land remediation and development work in Cannons Creek, paving the way for up to two-thousand new homes.

Mayor Anita Baker says it's the first step in tackling the housing crisis.

She says we can't build houses without infrastructure.