Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst welcomes today’s announcement for the first stage of the government’s investment towards more housing in Hastings.

Many factors are contributing to a massive housing shortage in Hastings - from a lack of affordable homes and rent increases, to the need to house 4,500 seasonal workers every year, coupled with emergency, social and senior housing all being at capacity.

This is putting huge pressure on families, many of whom are living in cramped and unhealthy conditions or in the worst cases, being left to live rough in their cars and on the streets.

Mrs Hazlehurst says she is delighted that the Government has delivered on the promise made by the Prime Minister when she visited Waipatu Marae in April this year.

“Jacinda Arden made a commitment to work together to deliver a plan that would firstly deal with the issue of homelessness and our severe housing shortage in the short term and secondly, to ensure the housing market works for everyone so that home ownership is possible for the whole community in the medium to long term.

“We are really pleased to be chosen for this pilot programme and I’d like to thank her Ministers responsible for housing and the government agencies that have been working with us, under the leadership of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, to make this happen for our people.”

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