Whanganui ranked 14th for housing deprivation rates, with 2.6% of the population considered severely housing deprived in 2023.
Housing deprivation is an increasing issue for Whanganui and surrounding districts, including uninhabitable homes and people living without shelter.
That’s according to Wellington-based economics consultancy Infometrics, which has released its 2023 data analysis.
The data for homelessness and housing deprivation is made available every five years, with the latest data released this year.
Infometrics chief executive and principal economist Brad Olsen said the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei districts displayed high levels of housing deprivation in 2023, compared to 2018.
Whanganui ranked 14th for housing deprivation rates, with 2.6% of the population, or 1212 people, considered severely deprived of housing.
Housing deprivation has four components, including those without shelter, uninhabitable housing, those in temporary accommodation, and those sharing other people’s private dwellings.
Olsen said uninhabitable housing was a concern for Whanganui, with 1.8% of the population living without at least one of the basic amenities, such as drinkable water, a refrigerator, shower or bath, cooking facilities or a toilet.
Uninhabitable housing was even more concerning for Ruapehu and Rangitīkei, where 2.9% and 2.7% respectively of the population were struggling.
This gave Ruapehu the fourth-highest percentage and Rangitīkei the sixth.
“What’s interesting is that the Ruapehu District is seeing a decline in the number and proportion of people living in uninhabitable housing in 2023 compared to 2018, whereas the other two got worse on the uninhabitable housing measure,” Olsen said.
Ruapehu also had 0.4% of the population living without shelter, placing it as the 10th worst-affected district.
“When we talk about homelessness, most people think of people without shelter and housing as traditional homelessness and, on that metric, we saw an increase in all three [districts] and a slightly larger increase for Ruapehu,” he said.
“That is generally the area that is the largest and also the one that you are able to do more about. You can upgrade some of those dwellings from uninhabitable to more habitable conditions; you’ve already got a roof over your head, but it might be without the amenities that you need.
“The fact that that’s gotten worse for Rangitīkei and Whanganui over the last five years indicates that people might not be living on the streets, as we all think about homelessness, but the challenges for a lot of households are increasingly clear to see.”
In 2023, 123 people across the three districts were living without shelter.
Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton said the housing crisis in the district concerned him.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say there is a housing crisis going on in our community; there are fast-growing housing needs, and we need more houses for the different needs of people.”
Taumarunui concerned him the most, with the median rent hovering around 54% of renters’ household income.
“There is a high number of Māori people in our community, in particular, that don’t rent their own home because there is a lack of housing for them at an affordable price.”
Olsen said that, although none of the districts were right at the top of the deprivation charts, they were high enough that there was concern.
Neighbouring areas, such as Taranaki, Taupō and Manawatū, were less severely deprived.
“We sometimes think about homelessness as a more urban population thing and, although it is more visible in urban areas, these figures show that rural and provincial areas like Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei still have people who are really struggling on the housing front.”
Olsen said neither a solution, nor who to blame, was simple, as someone who was completely without shelter required different levels of support than someone in an uninhabitable house.
“Local government is often the agency on the ground, but it’s technically not within their mandate to think about homelessness or support it.
“Central government has got the money and funding, but the local community have the knowledge of who these people are, how to provide them with the right help and what support they need.”
Whanganui District Council’s housing and homelessness portfolio holder, Kate Joblin, said 222 people were on the Ministry of Social Development housing register.
In the first quarter of 2024, there were 381 people on the register.
“What this tells me is that we are under-counting the need that exists both nationally and locally,” she said.
“I don’t believe the housing need has reduced since 2024. That’s just the way that these statistics are gathered.
“Anecdotally, when talking with those organisations working with those without a home, they suggest that we are about 800-1000 homes short, which is why what council is working on and other community organisations, also, is so important, so that we can, as a community, say everyone has access to a warm, safe home.”
Joblin said the council’s goal by 2035 was to have supported the building of 1000 affordable, warm and dry new houses.
“Our District Plan will focus on and adequately support infill development without conflicting with our environmental and heritage protections and obligations.
“The housing entity has been approved to kick off in the Annual Plan, and has been resourced with $500,000 to do so.”
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.