Gisborne had the highest median weekly rent paid in the country. Photo / File
Gisborne had the highest median weekly rent paid in the country. Photo / File
Supply and demand are major factors behind Gisborne having the highest median weekly rent in New Zealand, as efforts continue to provide more affordable housing in the district.
A solo mum renting in Gisborne says her struggle is similar to that of many other renters in the region,and she hopes to raise awareness of the issue.
According to Trade Me’s Rental Price Index for April, the median weekly rent paid in Gisborne in April was $680 - a 4.6% (or $30) increase on March.
Experts have pointed to Gisborne’s small and highly variable market, variety in the recent supply and longer-standing housing shortages.
The woman says searching for a rental had been a frustrating and stressful process - from being shown “dilapidated places ... not fit for a dog” to a limited, expensive and competitive market.
The woman, who did not want to be named, is a solo parent of five children, although only the two youngest live with her.
She left her home of nine years after enduring a “terrible” living situation involving emotional abuse, she said.
“It came to a head in April last year. A close friend said ‘please don’t go back, anything is better than going home’.”
The woman spent two to three months “homeless”. She stayed in a friend’s house where she and her children all slept in the same room, then found a short-term rental for fourth months.
She eventually found a place to live in October - at about $650 a week - but it was a hard slog.
“With a conservative estimate, I looked at 10 houses.”
She felt some property managers “didn’t consider me”.
She believed being a sole parent and Māori were “two big crosses against me”.
The woman is on a benefit. She said she worked four days part-time and did voluntary work.
“I can’t get full-time work. I can’t do 8-5. That’s the reality.”
Some of the houses she was shown were “dilapidated ... [they] were falling down ... they were not fit for a dog.”
As a solo parent, she wanted her and her family to feel safe, but some of the homes were “rugged and rough”.
Dogs were wandering around and the fences were “just a piece of wire”.
Other people she saw at rental home viewings were enduring similarly dire circumstances.
“People don’t think there’s poverty in Gisborne. We were all desperate and all had the same look ... exasperation and desperation in our eyes.”
Even when she was shown a decent house, she lost out to a professional couple, she said.
She got the house she was in now through a property manager who was also a solo parent.
“She had no bias.”
The woman wanted people to be aware of what was occurring in a limited rental market.
“The reality is a struggle is happening.”
Gisborne’s high rent -what is being done?
“This increase is largely due to the property types coming up for rent in Gisborne,” Trade Me spokeswoman Casey Wylde said.
“In April there were more houses for rent compared to units, townhouses and apartments - which typically have lower rents than the bigger properties.”
Hamish Harrison, of Ray White Gisborne, said the rise “reflects new listings only - not existing tenancies, many of which remain below market”.
“It’s a result of long-standing housing shortages, cyclone-related displacement and demand for warm, compliant homes."
A spokeswoman for the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, which gets its rent data through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, pointed out that “Gisborne data is highly variable given the small size of the market”.
National’s East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick reiterated the housing supply and demand problem in Tairāwhiti.
“There simply are not enough homes available for rent, and this pushes the (rent) price up,” she said.
National MP for East Coast Dana Kirkpatrick outlined the Government's plans for affordable housing. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“Addressing housing affordability and supply is a key focus for the Government, and we have introduced a number of initiatives to support this," she said.
One of those initiatives was the recent announcement of the partnership with East Coast Iwi collective Toitū Tairāwhiti in a $75 million development to deliver 150 affordable rentals in Gisborne, Kirkpatrick said.
The Government was contributing $49 million; the iwi collective the rest.
She provided a range of other measures that the Government was doing to help solve housing issues, including proposals to loosen restrictions around building granny flats and papakāinga and $82m for Upfront Operating Supplement payments to community housing providers in certain circumstances.
Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, Labour MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. Photo / Paul Taylor
Labour MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel said the cost of living and higher rents were hitting Gisborne hard, particularly Māori.
“The recent 2023 Census shows that over half the population of Gisborne are of Māori descent, increasing from 54.6% in 2018 to 56% in 2023. This means in Tairāwhiti, Māori are impacted the most ... this is very concerning.”
Tangaere-Manuel was “encouraged” by the partnership with Toitū Tairāwhiti, which she said was doing “excellent work building affordable homes for whānau”.
However, she was critical of the National Government for funding cuts in other areas.
“This Government has cut $1 billion from emergency housing and over the last two years close to $1 billion from Māori initiatives, largely Māori housing.”
She said that when in government, Labour “got the ball rolling, establishing Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga to target Māori who are in the most need”.
“During Cyclone Gabrielle, we then topped the fund up to support the recovery effort.”
She favoured a Māori-led approach.
“What we need is a pipeline of housing, which we [Labour] started, so Māori providers don’t have to go ‘cap in hand’ to government departments all the time.
“Māori know how to work with Māori communities best.”
Harrison acknowledged affordability was a concern and offered advice for tenants and landlords.
“We advise landlords to focus on long-term tenant retention, not just top-dollar rent, and encourage tenants to be well-prepared and explore all options. As new housing stock comes through, we expect more balance in the market.”
Work and Income’s website details ways people struggling to afford rent can gain help.
