Minister says the situation is "disgraceful"
New Zealand Housing Minister Chris Bishop (pictured above) has expressed deep concern over the alarming number of vacant social houses across the country.
High vacancy rate in social homes
As of late last year, it was revealed that 3,906 social homes, constituting 5% of the total public housing stock, were unoccupied.
Bishop highlighted a particularly troubling statistic, stating that nearly 20% of the new public homes delivered by Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities between June 2022 and October 2023 remained vacant as of Oct. 31. Of these, 287 homes had been empty for over four months, despite a significant demand for social housing.
Bishop urges swift action
Expressing his dismay, Bishop communicated his expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities. With more than 25,000 people on the social housing waitlist, he stressed that social homes should not be left empty any longer than “absolutely necessary.”
“It is disgraceful that New Zealanders needing a warm, dry home for their family are waiting in motel rooms, in cars and on family members’ couches while hundreds of newly built social housing units sit empty,” the minister said in a media release.
“While I understand there may be instances where, for valid reasons, it takes time to fill a new home, the time frames identified in this response are well beyond what I consider appropriate.
“It is critical that Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities is focused on efficiently placing tenants into social housing across New Zealand and works with much greater urgency to do so.”
Bishop said he anticipates a report from an independent review led by Bill English and expressed eagerness to discuss necessary changes and actions with Kāinga Ora to address the issue.
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