Gisborne and East Coast to get 200 new social houses under plan

Dana Kirkpatrick says Gisborne was among the locations that had been identified as a priority for social housing investment under the Government's Flexible Fund.

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick says her electorate will benefit from more than 200 new social houses under the Government’s Social Housing Investment Plan.

Kirkpatrick, in a statement to the Gisborne Herald, said the social housing announcement recognised the East Coast electorate had widespread unmet housing needs with more than 700 people on the housing register.

This announcement was part of a long-term housing initiative established through Budget 2025’s contestable Flexible Fund, which saw the Government provide $49m in a joint project with iwi collective Toitū Tairāwhiti to build 150 homes as part of the Tūranga Tangata Rite housing development, she said.

“Providing safe, warm homes to families in our region is a priority and, since June, 70 new Kāinga Ora homes have been tenanted in Gisborne and a further 50 are scheduled for completion over the next year.

“The Government has worked to develop a social housing strategy that recognises what is needed, where it is needed, and who is best placed to deliver it – for instance, half of those on the housing register in the East Coast require a one-bedroom home. Yet one-bedroom places are increasingly hard to come by for prospective tenants."

From 2027, the Flexible Fund will replace existing programmes and funds.

“That means social houses will be better targeted to those most in need and will best fit each tenant’s situation,” said Kirkpatrick.

Early analysis had Gisborne, Whakatāne, Kawerau, and Ōpōtiki as priority locations, meaning focused investment will be directed to the East Coast electorate.

“The plan also prioritises families with children, people with disabilities, older people, and Māori – groups identified as being at higher risk of struggling to access suitable housing.