8 December 2023
Media: Stuff
Topic: Emergency housing
Enquiry
Reporter sought comment from council organisation on Emergency Housing and mixed Motels:
- What other ways of addressing the housing crisis have you committed to?
- Are you still committed to introducing targeted rates on emergency housing providers? If yes, how would they pay?
- How many providers have stopped being emergency housing providers since May last year?
- How has Rotorua changed since the National government introduced emergency housing in 2016?
- Do you know how many people were in emergency housing in Rotorua this month?
Response
From Rotorua Lakes Council, Group Manager Community and District Development – Jean-Paul Gaston:
Question 1. Everyone in Rotorua should have access to suitable housing that fits their lifestyle, in a safe community with reliable infrastructure. Currently, our city is growing, and like many others, this growth has caused a housing crisis.
Council worked with government agencies and local iwi to increase housing for the community and decrease the reliance on Emergency Housing.
Note to reporter: There are far too many initiatives to put it in a simple quote so I’ve listed some with a link to other initiatives.
There have been a number of initiative:
- Government EH motels – zero mixed use
- Overall, the number of EH motels decreased from 50 (Sept 2022) to 21 (Oct 2023). 58% reduction
- Importantly, un-consented EH decreased from 29 (sept 22) to 8 (oct 23). 73% reduction
- All exited motels (approx. 30) had an inspected exit and are monitored on an on-going basis by RLC to confirm permanent return to tourism.
- Police have recognised to marked improvement to crime levels on Fenton Street. Important to restoring Rotorua’s reputation
- Monthly housing dashboards confirm declining numbers and important to show people are not being moved to Rotorua from outside the district
- Backpackers providing a range of tenancies are now a new priority – 1 closed, 2 returned to tourism – 11 to go.
For a more council initiatives click HERE.
Question 2. No, we are not introducing targeted rates on emergency housing providers.
Question 3. Each month MHUD release this information and I encourage you to check this LINK to find the information you are seeking. But from September 2022 to October 2023 it went from 29 to 8 a reduction of 73%.
Question 4. In late 2019, a collaborative effort between the Council and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD) assessed housing challenges in Rotorua, identifying a shortage of 1,750 homes that was increasing.
The challenges included a lack of public housing, rising homelessness, unaffordable housing prices, limited land for development, construction costs, population growth, shortage of skilled personnel, legislative requirements, high unemployment, and low wages. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues.
Despite challenges, the population of Rotorua has been steadily growing. Between 1996 and 2013, it increased by 2.7%, and from 2013 to 2020, it grew by 13%. As of June 2021, the population is 77,254, and projections suggest it will reach 85,085 by 2031 and 90,835 by 2051.
MHUD's assessment and population projections indicate a need for an additional 6,000 homes in Rotorua over the next decade.
Question 5. The latest Dashboard figures indicate there were 270 people were in emergency housing in Rotorua as of October 2023. November figures have not yet been released by MHUD.