New Zealand’s first state rental houses were opened in Patrick Street, Petone, in 1906. Built by the Liberal government and known as Workers’ Dwellings, they were architecturally designed and well built. Most workers could not afford to rent them, eventually leading the state to stop the scheme. A later government sold the homes and it was not until the late 1930s that another state rental housing scheme was initiated. Many of the Patrick Street houses have been renovated, and some have heritage listings.