A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
To hold your breath waiting for the housing ministry/Kainga Ora to solve our homeless problem would prove fatal. Gisborne would be eternally grateful if our local company Eastland Group came to the rescue. They could do this by putting 20 cabins on Churchill Park. To save time these cabins would
be without sewerage, hot water cylinders and stoves, but just have power, water, a two-element bench cooker, fridge, microwave and heat pump.
The tenants could shower and toilet in the ablution block plus portaloos as needed. With the help of our accommodation allowance, the occupant could pay $300 a week — so over the years it would pay for itself.
When enough state houses are built for these people, the park could carry on as a holiday camp. The bachs would be superior to a tent or caravan, and a lot cheaper than a motel, so would fill a niche market for campers and itinerant workers.
As Eastland Group is a community-owned entity, it has a moral obligation to house our homeless.
G. GIBSON
