Issue #902

by Julie Scott, Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust

Housing issues... they’re killing our community. The distinction between the “haves” and the “have nots” has never been so pronounced. If you’re in the latter category, you may also be in the very confronting position of facing homelessness.
And that seems a bit crazy when we’re told a quarter of the homes in the district are sitting empty. It seems we have enough housing supply; we just can’t access it. So local workers and families are finding themselves having to make the decision to either sleep in a tent /car /sofa, or leave this place they call home.

There are several theories as to how we’ve found ourselves here. Among the top ones are the use of short-term visitor accommodation platforms, along with changes to Government legislation making it less attractive for holiday home owners to rent out their properties.

So, whose problem is it to solve and where the heck do we start? Surely, we all have a role to play.

Government could legislate to ensure platforms like Airbnb operate on a level playing field with both the hotel industry and long-term rental property owners. This could mean meeting the Healthy Homes Standards and restricting these platforms in areas with high housing needs.

RTA changes could also be made to encourage landlords to rent their homes out beyond 90 days.

Investment property owners not renting their homes long-term already, need to look at the dire situation and consider helping those less privileged. Yes, Airbnb may be more financially attractive, but what about that couple with the two-year-old moving into their car next week? Is this really the NZ you want to live in?

At QLCHT, we’re building 68 homes in Arrowtown and 28 in Hāwea, with plenty more in the pipeline. Over the next few years, we will deliver hundreds more in areas including Kingston, Coneburn, Hanley’s Farm, Arthurs Point, Cardrona, Wānaka and Hāwea.

However, we now have over 900 eligible households on our waiting list, so we know we need more. To this end, we’re actively looking at land opportunities to build more high-density housing. Frankton’s Toru apartments are a great example of high-density done well.

QLDC has launched a room-matching service to turn spare rooms in locals’ homes into short-term accommodation for workers. This relies on the local community stepping up.

Last month, Council released its draft Joint Housing Action Plan for community feedback. This long-term strategy is a collaboration between QLDC, Central Government and QLCHT, and outlines a programme of work with nine solutions and sets of actions towards measurable outcomes. Get online and have your say.