State of emergency called for to address Horowhenua housing crisis

More land needs to be freed up to allow for more homes to be built.

Horowhenua District councillor Sam Jennings is calling for a state of emergency to deal with Horowhenua's housing crisis.

Jennings said rising rents and house prices were a social and economic disaster with young and vulnerable people the worst affected.

He said with a record median house price of $603,535 in Horowhenua now, home ownership and rents were at complete odds with average median household income, estimated to be less than $45,000.

Horowhenua District councillor Sam Jennings said Housing affordability is unaffordable, and at its worst-ever level.

With the median rent for a three-bedroom house at $420 per week it was shameful that Horowhenua had the highest percentage of income being spent on rent in New Zealand, he said.

As of July 2021, Horowhenua had an average rate of 40 per cent of household income being spent on rent, with that figure being 45 per cent in Foxton and 51 per cent in Shannon, he said.

"There is anecdotal evidence that Horowhenua residents are being displaced from the district due to housing unaffordability and that gentrification is actively occurring in Horowhenua," he said.

"Housing affordability is in the severely unaffordable range, and at its worst-ever level."

Jennings said the crisis was having a significant negative impact on the wellbeing of existing residents, as well as adverse impacts on businesses, schools, community organisations and wider social wellbeing.

In June this year there were 209 applicants on the public housing register waiting for a home in Horowhenua. There was a visible increase in homeless people in the district, he said.

"There is a critical shortage of public housing in Horowhenua, including a lack of emergency housing options, transitional housing, social and community housing as well as suitable options for youth requiring housing options to escape family violence, substance abuse or other domestic situations," he said.

Jennings said declaring a housing emergency would signify to the community, HDC, government agencies that housing availability and affordability is an urgent priority.

"The intention of declaring a housing emergency is to act as a catalyst for urgent action ... to increase focus on this issue and call for greater national support," he said.

Jennings wanted a letter written to the chief executive of Kainga Ora requesting additional investment in Horowhenua to address the crisis, and discuss social housing development on council-owned property.

He called for a review of all current council work programmes to ensure that housing supply and affordability are prioritised over non-essential work, and that a strategy be developed to approach Government on the issue.

Jennings wanted HDC to make urgent changes to the District Plan and accelerate the supply of housing, and to formally adopt a work programme no later than February 28, 2022.

The adoption by council of a Streamlined Housing Process (SHP) aimed at making it more painless for developers to obtain resource consent was a positive step, but it was only one measure among many, he said.

HDC should investigate a suite of potential District Plan changes and initiatives for delivering additional housing supply and greater competition and affordability, with urgency, he said.

Council-owned land could make available for social housing projects, by way of direct partnership with agencies or organisations wanting to progress social and emergency housing projects.

Council land could be used to temporarily house transportable homes as an immediate solution while more houses were being built, he said.

HDC had to acknowledge its role in housing affordability and supply, and that current land use and infrastructure planning was a barrier to promptly addressing these issues, he said.

Jennings went as far as to suggest HDC issue a public apology for not having adequately addressed housing affordability and supply.