The ballot will open for the first completed KiwiBuild homes in a week, Housing Minister Phil Twyford has announced.

The first KiwiBuild homes, described as "modest starters", have been completed at the McLennan development in Papakura.

The 18 houses will be sold through a ballot which runs for four weeks and opens on September 10.

The stand-alone homes are made up of 12 three-bedroom homes selling for $579,000 and six four-bedroom homes selling for $649,000.

"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," Twyford said today.

Anyone considering entering the ballot should get a thorough understanding of the property first and should visit the show home when it opens on September 8, he said.

Twyford also announced that another 58 KiwiBuild houses, mostly three-bedroom, would be built at the McLennan site next year.

And he will be unveiling details of more KiwiBuild developments in Waikato, Taranaki, Auckland and Queenstown-Lakes area in coming weeks.

KiwiBuild was 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, Twyford said.

KiwiBuild eligibility

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 $120,000 for a single buyer, or no more than $180,000 for more than one purchaser

• A New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, or a resident visa holder who is ordinarily resident in New Zealand

• Intend to own and live in the home as their primary place of residence for at least three years