The 18 homes are at the McLennan development in Papakura, Auckland.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford says the homes are “warm, modern and architecturally-designed”.

There are 12 three-bedroom homes selling for NZ$579,000 and six four-bedroom homes selling for NZ$649,000.

View the photo gallery below

Enter the ballot

Owners will be decided from a ballot system. Anyone who wants to be in the running for a KiwiBuild home can register online here.

Twyford says in a press release these “first modest, starter homes” are an important milestone in the government’s plan to restore the dream of homeownership for Kiwi families.

“Our very first KiwiBuild homeowners will wake up this Christmas in their own homes and will soon be joined by many others as KiwiBuild ramps up over the months and years ahead.

“A further 12 properties are under construction at the McLennan development and will be completed before Christmas, including seven terraced two-bedroom homes and five four-bedroom homes.

On track for 1000 homes

Another 58 homes will be built in the same location, most of which will have three bedrooms.

There are more planned for Waikato, Taranaki, Auckland and Queenstown-Lakes, and the details of those will be announced “in the coming weeks”, Twyford says.

The Auckland homes will be open to the public on September 8.

KiwiBuild is on track to build 1000 homes in the first year, ramping up to 5000 homes by June 2020 and 10,000 homes by June 2021, he said.

Are you eligible?

To ensure KiwiBuild homes go to the people they are intended for, applicants must:

· Be a first-time buyer, or a ‘second chancer’

· Have an income of less than NZ$120,000 for a single buyer, or no more than NZ$180,000 for more than one purchaser

· Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, or a resident visa holder who is ‘ordinarily resident in New Zealand’

· And intend to own and live in the home as their primary place of residence for at least three years.

Pre-qualification requirements

The online pre-qualification process will ask for specific documentation certified by an authorised person (like a Justice of the Peace, or lawyer) including:

· Proof of citizenship/residency

· Proof of income

· Financial pre-approval from a bank or other lender

· A statutory declaration signed by an authorised person like a Justice of the Peace, or lawyer.

Visit the KiwiBuild website for more information.

First published 3 September, 2018

JUNO does not contain financial advice as defined by the Financial Advisers Act 2008. Consult a suitably qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. This story reflects the views of the contributor only. Content comes from sources that JUNO considers accurate, but we do not guarantee that the content is accurate.