City first in line for state home plan

The announcement was applauded by Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services Trust director Tommy Wilson, who said the transfer of homes was a good thing for Tauranga. Photo / Sam Ackland

Tauranga has been selected as one of the first two regions in New Zealand to hand over state homes to local community providers.

Bay social services, property developers, iwi representative and housing managers met yesterday, on less than 24 hours notice, to receive the news Tauranga community housing providers could receive more than 1250 houses from Housing New Zealand Corporation.

The Housing New Zealand properties proposed to be handed over include 1256 local houses - most located in the Tauranga Hospital, Tauranga South and Yatton Park areas. The names of the local community housing providers were not expected to be released until after further negotiation.

The announcement was applauded by Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services Trust director Tommy Wilson, who said the transfer of homes was a good thing for Tauranga.

Te Tuinga Whanau Support has made no secret of its interest in taking on the houses when they become available.

"Eighty per cent of people that come to our place are looking for somewhere to live - emergency housing," Mr Wilson said. "These people are living on park benches and beaches and sheds and damp caravans."

Times had changed and finding homes for people was hard because what was available did not always meet the need, he said.

"For us, many of the clients we are looking after are mothers with five kids. Let's start matching them up [with appropriate housing]."

Mr Wilson said the transfer of homes to Tauranga services opened the opportunity for local agencies to make emergency housing more economical for the people in need.

"In a lot of cases, these houses have one or two people in them on a piece of property that could have three or four smaller dwellings - some real nice homes," he said.

Tenants in properties being sold would continue to be housed for the duration of their need and their rent payments were not expected to be affected.

Labour housing spokesman Phil Twyford said the Government's state house sell-off would not fix the housing crisis or better the lives of vulnerable families.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett said: "We know that vulnerable New Zealanders do better when services are delivered by local people for local people."