Partnerships between Community Housing Providers and government are the most effective way to get Kiwi families into a
place of their own, says Community Housing Aotearoa (CHA) Deputy CEO Chris Glaudel.
Housing Minister Megan Woods today announced the government has signed up the first two providers delivering assisting
low to median income families into home ownership. The initiatives delivered by Housing Foundation and Queenstown Lakes
Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) will get 100 families into home ownership. Today’s announcement is the first phase of a
programme the government says will help up to 4000 families into their own homes.
Glaudel said Community Housing Providers had already worked together with the government on a number of social housing
initiatives tailored to meet the varying needs of different communities. “We want to do more – and with this type of
support we can and will do more,” Glaudel said.
Many CHA members, including Housing Foundation and QLCHT, had well-established track records of providing stable and
secure housing for families that would otherwise struggle to own their own home. Tapping into that expertise ensured the
government would get value for money, said Glaudel.
Glaudel said that while homelessness makes the headlines, it is only one of a large number of overlapping issues that
contribute to New Zealand’s current housing crisis.
“We know that home ownership helps families build not only material wealth, but also better connections with their
communities and better futures for their children; sadly, too many New Zealanders are effectively locked out of the
private housing market but also unable to access state- provided housing,” Glaudel said.
“Whether through agreements lowering the cost of land such as that operated by QLCHT, or through the more common
progressive home ownership models such as Rent to Buy or Shared Equity, our member organisations offer families
alternative ways to work towards home ownership that meet their individual needs, and also provide the ongoing
stewardship that keeps families in those homes.”
“If there’s one thing the past two decades should have taught us, it is that neither the market nor the state can by
itself ensure all New Zealanders are well-housed,” said Glaudel.
“Community housing providers have proven that, with the right support, we can deliver great outcomes.”
“Today’s announcement, and the positive comments recently made by politicians of varying persuasions, give us hope that
message is getting through. We look forward to the further announcements of those working in the iwi and Maori pathway
and other phase one providers.”
Community Housing Aotearoa is the umbrella group for New Zealand’s community housing sector. Our 90 provider members
house approximately 25,000 people nationally across 13,000 homes. More information is available at www.communityhousing.org.nz.