4 April 2022
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Allocation of government housing being built in Rotorua
Enquiry
I'm writing a story today around all the new houses that are being built in Rotorua by the Government and who will be eligible to live in them.
While the assumption, and possibly hope, is these houses will be for Rotorua locals only, this isn't necessarily guaranteed (see the response below from MSD and Kāinga Ora).
Given your strong letters to Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni around requesting assurances MSD wasn't actively sending out-of-town people to Rotorua for the emergency housing, I was wondering if you would be asking for similar assurances around these new Kāinga Ora homes being built, or if you were happy with the process they have in place.
Here's some questions:
- Do you think new homes being built by Kāinga Ora in Rotorua should exclusively be for Rotorua people needing a home?
- Does it worry you that words like "we expect most people and whānau to come from Rotorua and surrounding areas" are being used?
- Does it worry you that Kāinga Ora has said in some cases people may come from other areas and want to return to Rotorua for various reasons?
- Will you push Kāinga Ora to give assurances these new homes will be only for those who have been living in Rotorua immediately prior?
- Will you push Kāinga Ora for assurances these new homes will ensure there are fewer people living in motels in Rotorua.
MSD housing need assessment – to be attributed toKaren Hocking, General Manager Housing, MSD
To qualify for social housing, applicants must first undergo a public housing assessment to fully understand their needs.
- Clients must be assessed as having a housing need priority rating of 'at risk' (priority A) or serious (priority B) in order to be placed on the Housing Register.
- We assess applicants against several criteria, including the adequacy and suitability of their current accommodation; and their ability to afford, access and sustain suitable housing in the private market.
- A score is determined for each of these criteria, and the applicant’s total (out of 20) reflects their level of need
- The Housing Register has priority ratings between B8 and A20. Applicants with the most urgent needs will be matched to a property first when a property that suits their needs becomes available.
- At MSD, our role is to assess eligibility for public housing and refer housing applications to Kāinga Ora and other housing providers to help them match applications to available properties
- Public housing landlords are responsible for matching clients to properties that fit their needs
- How quickly an individual or family are housed depends both on their need and what properties are available that matches that need (e.g. their chosen areas in which to live and the size of the house they need).
Placement into Kāinga Ora homes – to be attributed to Darren Toy, Regional Director Bay of Plenty, Kāinga Ora
Once MSD has completed the eligibility process, Kāinga Ora assesses the properties that are available and places people from the housing register based on need and eligibility. MSD and Kāinga Ora work closely together if there are any changes in their circumstances. As part of our commitment to helping our customers live well in their homes, we talk to them about their connections to schooling, the community and other groups to help us find the right home and neighbourhood for them and their whānau.
For our homes in Rotorua including those at Ranolf St/Malfroy Rd, we expect most people and whānau to come from Rotorua and surrounding areas. This ensures they can remain connected to their community and other networks. In some cases people may come from other areas, and want to return to where they previously lived, or they have family, iwi or other connections and support networks which will help them to live well in their new home.
Response
From Mayor Chadwick:
It’s absolutely my expectation that homes being built in Rotorua are for Rotorua people who need housing. It’s fundamental to what we’re trying to achieve in finding housing solutions for our people – that’s what drove us to advocate for the taskforce and for the housing strategy, because we’ve seen the housing shortage growing exponentially since well before Covid and that shortage has become more acute due to the impact of the pandemic.
The fact locals don’t necessarily get preference highlights that the public housing allocation settings are out of date and I’ll certainly raise it as a concern.
We have been loud and clear – and insistent – in our message to the Government that Rotorua can not be the solution to homelessness across New Zealand, that we need to get people out of motels and into proper, safe, appropriate housing and that we need new homes as quickly as possible to enable that to happen. We’ll continue to advocate that strongly on behalf of our community at all levels of Government at every possible opportunity.