Horowhenua home ownership levels down and lack of affordable housing
By Veronica Harrod
Say the word "economic development" and everyone thinks, "Great, what's wrong with economic development?" Economic
development for who though?
The genesis of Horowhenua District Council's economic development model was a 2015 New Zealand Institute of Economic
Research (NZIER) report commissioned by the Council and Economic Development Board (EDB) called “Investment in Transport
Infrastructure: Effects on economic and demographic outlook.”
The report identifies relatively cheap labour and available land as the two main economic advantages of doing business
in Horowhenua and recommends remaining unresponsive to, “increased demand or economic activity in the region with
measures that undermine the region’s competitive cost advantage by raising cost and prices."
In other words keep wages low and cost of land and property development down to maintain the district’s competitive
advantage.
Yet, according to official figures there are 333 fewer ratepayers now than there were this time last year. According to
Council’s June 2017 Annual Plan there was 17,959 rateable properties. Yet a 2018 email from Council communications
advisor Trish Hayward said there were 17,626 rateable properties which indicates home ownership in Horowhenua is
actually going down not up.
Several members of the Community Wellbeing Committee continue to say home affordability in Horowhenua - either renting
or owning – is a problem.
At the April 24 meeting committee member Eleanor Gully queried what economic group would be living in the new housing
developments, what infrastructure provisions would be made for the Pasifika population and disability community, and
whether the new housing developments would have community houses.
Ministry of Social Development committee member Katie Brosnahan said the Ministry wanted to be involved "from the get
go" to ensure sustainable jobs and employment opportunities were created for beneficiaries.
Sister Sosefina from Housing Compassion, that manages the pensioner portfolio, said her experience in the last six
months with the elderly of the district is, "they are asking for space and accommodation."
In response to the Salvation Army State of the Nation report last year Levin Salvation Army Community Ministries
co-ordinator Linda Murray said that locally demand for food parcels and numbers of people experiencing food poverty due
to high rents and low wages is increasing. She also said there was a serious lack of affordable housing and the impact
was felt even by those bringing two wages into the household.