Source: New Zealand Government
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish.
The latest data on whānau moved from emergency housing motels into social homes shows that Priority One is making a huge difference, Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka says.
“At the end of August this year, the total number of households in emergency housing motels had reduced by 57 per cent under our Government, from 3141 in December last year to 1365 at the end of August. The daily cost to the taxpayer has fallen from about $1 million a day to around half that.
“In April, we brought in our Priority One policy, a key election promise from National, which prioritises whānau with tamariki who have been in emergency housing for 12 weeks or more to move into social homes. So far, thanks to Priority One, we’ve seen around 645 households move from emergency housing into social housing. That includes over 1311 children who no longer have to live in unsuitable dank motels.
“I recently met a dad who had been moving between homeless shelters, a caravan, and his car. He told me that moving into his home earlier this year has been life-changing for him and his daughter. His teenage daughter is now settled, achieving excellence at school and he told me that his daughter now has goals in life.
“I also met a mum whose four young tamariki are living in a stable home for the first time in their lives after cycling in and out of emergency housing for years. She said: ‘It was just me and my babies sleeping in one bed in emergency housing before I got this home’.
“Unlike the previous government which didn’t know where half the people leaving these motels had gone, we are continually improving our insights on those entering and exiting emergency housing.
“We now know that about 80 per cent of those leaving emergency housing go into some form of social or private housing because of support they receive. The remaining people are not accessing any government housing supports administered by the Ministry of Social Development.
“People don’t have to tell us where they are moving to, and they may no longer need to access government support – people living in emergency housing should not be judged as being incapable of navigating their own lives. We need to balance the requirement to monitor the effectiveness of our interventions with the need to respect people’s reasonable right to privacy.
“Officials are monitoring the risk of increased homelessness through regular engagement with housing and social service providers. Officials are also working to better understand homelessness. It’s important to remember too that emergency housing remains available as a temporary last resort for people in greatest need.
“With the targeted supports we’re offering, and more social housing and private rentals becoming available, people have more options for finding houses they can make into homes.
“Over the two years to 30 June 2026, Kāinga Ora will be adding 2,650 homes to the state housing stock, and our Government has committed to delivering 1,500 new social housing homes by June 2027 to keep the pipeline of social houses coming. These new social homes will be delivered by Community Housing Providers.
“We are committed to achieving our target of reducing the number of households in emergency housing by 75 per cent by 2030 and I am encouraged by the progress we are making towards this target.”
Whakaarotau Tuatahi: kia whaikāinga ō tātou tamariki
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi.
E tohu ana ngā raraunga hou mō ngā whānau kua hūnuku i ngā nōhanga tata ki ngā kāinga pāpori i te hurihanga nui kua puta i te Whakaarotau Tuatahi, hei tā te Minita Tuarua mō ngā take whare a Tama Potaka.
“I te hiku o te marama o Here-turi-kōka i tēnei tau, i heke te rahinga o ngā whānau e noho ana i ngā mōtera nōhanga tata i te 57 ōrau i raro i tō mātou Kāwanatanga, mai 3141 i te marama o Hakihea i tērā tau ki 1365 i te mutunga o Here-turi-kōka i tēnei tau. Kua heke te utu o te ia rā mō te kaiutu tāke i te takiwā o te kotahi miriona tāra ia rā, ā kātata ki te hāwhe o tērā.
“I te marama o Paengawhāwhā, i whakarewa mātou i te kaupapa here o Whakaarotau Tuatahi, he kī taurangi nō te pōtitanga a-motu a Nahinara, e aronui ana ki ngā whānau whai tamariki kua noho i ngā nōhanga tata mō te 12 wiki, neke atu rānei kia hūnuku ki ngā kāinga pāpori. Hoi anō, kua kite mātou ngā hua o te Whakaarotau Tuatahi, ā tata ki te 645 whānau kua hūnuku i ngā nōhanga tata ki ngā kāinga pāpori. Tae ana ki ngā tamariki neke atu i te 1311, kua kore e hoki ki ngā mōtera karukaru, hūnounou anō hoki.
“Nō naia tata ake nei i tūtaki ki tētahi pāpā i nuku haere i waenga i ngā whare tāwharau, tētahi whare tāwhai me tōna waka. I kī mai ia kua huri te ao mōna me tana tamāhine, i tōna taunga ki tōna ake kāinga i tēnei tau. Kua mahuru tana tamāhine, kua angitū ia i te kura, waihoki i kī mai ia he whāinga nui tō tana tamāhine ināianei.
“I tūtaki hoki au ki tētahi māmā katahi anō rātou ko ōna tamariki tokowha ka noho ki tētahi kāinga haumaru, ā kua roa nei e uru, e puta anō hoki i ngā nōhanga tata i roto i ngā tau. I kī mai ia ‘Ko au me aku pēpē anake, e moe tahi ana i te moenga kotahi i roto i ngā nōhanga tata i mua i taku whai i tēnei kāinga’.
“E kore e whai i te kāwanatanga o mua e kūare ana i ngā nekehanga o te haurua o ngā tāngata e puta ana i ngā mōtera, ka whanake haere mātou i ngā mōhiotanga o ngā tāngata e uru, e puta anō hoki i ngā nōhanga tata.
“E mōhio ana mātou ināianei e haere ana te 80 ōrau o ngā tāngata e puta ana i ngā nōhanga tata ki tētahi momo kāinga pāpori, kāinga motuhake rānei nā te momo penihana i whakawhiwhia e rātou. Ko te toenga o ngā tāngata kāore e whai i tētahi penihana whare o te kāwanatanga, nā te Manatū Whakahīato Ora i tuku.
“Ehara i te mea me whakamōhio mai ngā tāngata i ō rātou nekehanga, ā tērā pea kāore e whaitake te kimi penihana o te kāwanatanga – kia kaua e whakawā i te hunga e noho ana i ngā nōhanga tata me te pōhēhē e kore e tāea e rātou te whaioranga. Me whakataurite mātou i ngā mahi haepapa ki te aroturuki i ngā hua ka puta i ngā kaupapa me te whakaaro hoki ki ngā tikanga mana tangata kia noho motuhake.
“Ko te pikinga o te kāingakoretanga tētahi tūraru e aroturuki ana e ngā kaimahi i roto i ngā hononga ki ngā ratonga whare, ratonga hauora anō hoki. Ka whanake hoki ngā kaimahi i te mōhiotanga e pā ki te kāingakoretanga. Me maumahara tonu kei reira tonu ngā nōhanga tata hei kōwhiringa whakamutunga mō te hunga e tino hiahia nei.
“Mā ngā kaupapa hāpai e whakaritea nei e mātou, me te whanake haere o ngā kāīnga pāpori me ngā kāinga rēti anō hoki e whai wāhi ana, ka nui ake ngā ara whai whare, hei kāinga mō te tangata.
“I roto i ngā tau e rua, tae ana ki te 30 o Pipiri 2026, ka hangaia e Kāinga Ora kia 2650 ngā whare tūmatanui, ka ū hoki tō mātou Kāwanatanga kia 1500 ngā kāinga pāpori hou ka whakatūria i mua i te Pipiri hei te tau 2027 kia pakari ai te pūnaha kāinga pāpori. Mā ngā Ratonga Whare Hapori ēnei kāinga pāpori e whakatū.
“E ū ana ki tā mātou whāinga kia angitū, kia heke te rahinga o ngā whānau e noho ana i ngā nōhanga tata i te 75 ōrau hei te tau 2030, waihoki e hiamo ana ahau i ngā hua kua puta kia tutuki tēnei whāinga.”
