Hastings District Council receives award for housing plan

The Tarbet St housing development in Flaxmere is one new development for first home buyers in the district. Photo / Supplied

Hastings District Council has been recognised with a national award for its approach to addressing the housing crisis.

On Thursday night at the Taituarā – Local Government Professionals Aotearoa Awards, the council received the BERL Award for Collaborative Government Action for its place-based housing solution.

The award recognised the "outstanding" results that had been achieved through the combined efforts of government agencies, mana whenua, community support groups and council.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said that as an organisation and a community it was an honour to be recognised through the award.

"Our strong partnerships have allowed us to develop our Hastings place-based housing plan, with 26 actions to bring homes to our people.

"Our council is committed and determined to get quality, healthy homes to our community as quickly as possible.

"Getting whānau out of motels and temporary accommodation is one of our council's highest priorities, and it's going to take a huge effort by all parties to work together to deliver the homes we need for Hastings district."

The plan came at a time when the social housing waitlist in Hastings had increased from 57 people to about 640 people in five years.

Hastings District Council chief executive Nigel Bickle said it was evident there needed to be a way to work with a range of partners, including the Government, using the resources available to put solutions in place.