Elderly Bay of Plenty renters struggle to find homes as costs soar

Elderly people in Tauranga and Rotorua are struggling in a tight rental market, advocates say. Photo / 123rf

The Bay of Plenty recently overtook Auckland as NZ’s priciest place to rent and some over 65s are struggling to keep up with soaring costs. One expert calls the situation a ‘disgrace’ and says elders are living under bushes, in tents, toilets, cars garages or couch surfing. Reporter Carmen Hall talks to a devastated family running out of time to find a new home for their elderly mother about the human cost of the housing crisis.

The family of a Tauranga pensioner in her 70s say they are wracked with guilt after a desperate and fruitless battle to find her a home.

She now has less than two weeks to find somewhere to live after her rented home of eight years was sold in December.

The family has been applying for private rentals for months as well as approaching social agencies, retirement villages, the council, and the Ministry of Social Development.

The Bay of Plenty Times agreed not to name the family because their mother was “embarrassed” about her situation, but her children wanted to highlight an issue they believed was affecting many elderly.

Wiping away tears, one daughter said: “I’m so stressed, especially when my mum rings me up and she is crying saying I want to die.”

Competition had been fierce, with 20 people at one viewing for a two-bedroom rental. Her mother also has a small therapy dog and most landlords do not allow pets, she said.

“I have never seen it this bad for old people.”

Her mother wanted to live independently but may have no choice if they cannot find a single-level one to two-bedroom unit for no more than $500 a week.

The alternative would have her moving between her children’s homes due to their work commitments.

The daughter said they were wracked with guilt and “at our wit’s end”.

“You start thinking, we haven’t done enough.”

Another daughter said her mother did not want to rely on family members.

“She would rather hold on to her independence, keep her dignity, and keep doing what she is doing for as long as she can.”

They understood they would eventually have to take over their mother’s care, but said the timing of that decision had effectively been taken due to the housing crisis.

The latest Ministry for Social Development data had 423 people on the public housing register in Tauranga waiting for a one-bedroom state house.

Tauranga's housing crisis may force a woman in her 70s to stop living independently before she is ready, her children say. Photo / George Novak

Nationally, 2844 people on the register were aged 65 plus and 3333 were aged 55 to 64

In December the Bay of Plenty overtook Auckland as the country’s priciest area for tenants.

The median weekly rent for a one to two-bedroom home in Tauranga was $600,up 13.2 per cent year-on-year, according to TradeMe data.

Rotorua pensioner ‘desperate’ for home

Age Concern Rotorua manager Rory O’Rourke said it was “common” for tensions to arise when elderly relatives moved in with family.

“Most families are caring but people who have lived by themselves for a long time have their little idiosyncrasies that get up their nose.”

O’Rouke said the organisation was approached by a pensioner feeling “desperate” and without options after moving in with family and the find the situation began to sour.

“Love” was not enough, the elder told Rourke: I need to go but where?”.

The rental situation in Rotorua was dire and he was aware elderly living in motels, motorhomes or couch surfing.

It comes as Age Concern’s pocket-sized neighbourhood for elderly in need would soon welcome its first tiny home recipient, who would pay $120 per week.

Age Concern Rotorua Manager Rory O'Rourke drawing the residents of its new tiny homes last March. Photo / Andrew Warner

Ministry for Social Development data shows 390 people were waiting for a one-bedroom state house in Rotorua.

Trade Me data showed the median weekly rent for a one to two-bedroom home in Rotorua in January was $455, up 13.2 per cent, year-on-year.

No solution in sight for elder housing care crisis

Gerontologist Carole Gordon said vulnerable elders were stressed due to housing policy “negligence”.

“We have an elder housing care crisis, there is no solution in sight.

“It’s a disgrace.”

Advocate for the elderly Carol Gordon. Photo / George Novak

People were living longer which drove the need to designrental homes for elders, she said.

Her research found rentals had become unaffordable “forcing more people including elders to live under bushes, in tents, toilets, cars garages or couch surf”, according to a paper she prepared for a healthy ageing forum.

Elderly men more likely to stay in shared accommodation

Tē Tuinga Whanau Support Services Trust has two transitional homes in Tauranga to help house the growing elderly population.

Whare Patariki opened in 2022 and accommodated about five men, while Whare Kaa opened in August and could house up to five women.

Whare Patariki, a mini-retirement village, opened in Tauranga in 2022. Photo / Luke Kirkness

Transitional housing leader Sophia Murray said its kuia/kaumātua programme was successful but highlighted shared living tended to suit men better because many women were used to being the head of their households.

“Suddenly they have to move into a bedroom with shared common spaces that is not always to their liking.”

Age Concern Tauranga general manager Tanya Smith said some elderly living on superannuation alone could not afford rent.

The Government should take “more ownership of that”, she said.

Minister for Seniors: Housing for over 65s a key challenge

Minister for Seniors Casey Costello said providing living options for people as they aged was a key challenge she wanted to address.

Minister for Seniors Casey Costello.

“I mean everything from people being able to stay in their existing family home right through to there being suitable places for older New Zealanders to live and receive health or dementia care.”

Costello said she wanted the Building Act amended to make it easier to build granny flats or other small structures up to 60m2. The Government had also committed to increasing social housing places.

State homes allocated on need, not age

Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said 364 Kāinga Ora tenancies were held by people aged 65-plus in Tauranga, Rotorua and the Western Bay of Plenty.

Matching a person to a home was based on individual needs, not age.

Toy said need and individual circumstances were considered when one of the 197 one-bedroom units for older people transferred from Tauranga City Council to Kāinga Ora became available.

Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy. Photo / Andrew Warner

Housing provider Accessible Properties’ chief executive Greg Orchard saidabout 19 per cent of its 1,196 public housing homes in Tauranga and Te Puke were occupied by tenants aged over 65.

Research it funded in 2020 found the market responded poorly to the needs of older renters.

“It will have only increased by then.”

High demand for council homes

Tauranga City Councilbegan selling its elder housing villages in 2018. Seven of the nine villages were sold to Kāinga Ora for $17.2 million.

One was sold to Sanderson Group for a proposed new retirement village and the final village’s sale was still being finalised.

The council expected to have $47.8m in total from the sales and $22.1m had already been put towards work to increase public, social, affordable and elder housing, a spokeswoman said.

Rotorua Lakes Council has 152 pensioner units and 29 were empty. It had 37 people on the waiting list.

Corporate services group manager Thomas Colle said four had been refurbished and it was working to tenant them, while the remainder awaited refurbishment.

“Our waitlist is always full due to ongoing high demand, and we cap it [at 40] so people can find other alternatives rather than having to wait for up to two years for one to become free.”

Carmen Hall is a news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, covering business and general news. She has been a Voyager Media Awards winner and a journalist for 25 years.