Gisborne housing: Applicants to social housing nearly halve

The Ministry of Social Development assesses people for the social housing register. It also provides emergency housing to people who meet the criteria. Photo / Gisborne Herald

The number of applicants on the social housing register in Gisborne has nearly halved over the last two years.

There has also been a significant reduction in the number of people in emergency housing in Gisborne compared to 2024, when the application rules were changed.

Ministry of Social Development (MSD) data shows that, between March 2024 and March 2026, the number of applicants on the Social Housing Register in Gisborne dropped from 639 to 393.

The Social Housing Register (or Public Housing Register) is an MSD list of individuals and families assessed as eligible for public housing due to severe housing need.

It matches people with suitable homes and includes two parts: those who need new housing (Housing Register) and those who need transfers.

Steve Smits-Murray, MSD regional commissioner for the East Coast, said MSD had “worked hard to support people in emergency housing to move into more sustainable housing, whether that be private rentals, transitional housing or social housing”.

The latest quarterly data from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to the end of March showed there were 39 emergency housing special needs grants provided in Gisborne, totalling $91,929.

There were 18 primary applicants who received $2357 on average.

MSD didn’t share the number of Gisborne households in emergency housing as of 2026, citing privacy concerns.

The last time the Gisborne household data was not suppressed was in the quarterly report ending September 2025, where nine Gisborne households were in emergency housing.

This is a nearly 90% reduction since March 2024, when 81 Gisborne households were in emergency housing.

The Government has tightened restrictions on accessing emergency housing, introducing new rules in August 2024 which allowed officials to decline grants if they believed a person had caused or contributed to their own need.

“Following Government announcements in 2024, we introduced a clear, rules-based system for emergency housing assistance to reduce the number of people in emergency housing, and support our focus on getting people into sustainable homes,” Smits-Murray said.

“If someone who applies is eligible for another, more suitable type of support, such as transitional housing or other accommodation, we will offer that instead.”

MSD had housing options available to help people move into and stay in longer-term suitable housing.

Smits-Murray said significant work had been done in Gisborne by social and community housing providers to increase the supply, and families will have moved out of emergency housing as a result.

He said emergency housing was always a last resort in 2026, but it remained available for those who needed it.

To be eligible for an emergency housing special needs grant, applicants must show they have been actively looking for rental accommodation but were unable to find it.