Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has published its first annual monitoring report on the Joint Housing Action Plan (JHAP) and will be co-hosting a community hui next week to discuss the district’s housing challenges.

The JHAP is an output of the Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan and was developed in partnership between QLDC, Kāi Tahu, central government, and Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT). The plan assesses the district’s housing challenges and details what Council and its partners are doing about it.

QLDC Strategic Housing Officer Emily Irwin said JHAP recognises that a lack of affordable housing is one of the district’s biggest challenges and is an issue that impacts individuals, families, businesses, and the wider community.

“We know that increasing housing supply alone won’t solve the problem, so we’ve included in the plan 34 actions to address the district’s housing challenges.”

Work on the actions is steadily underway. Key implementation highlights for the first year include:

• Facilitating over $10 million worth of Inclusionary Housing contributions (land and money) for QLCHT, bringing total contributions to $32 million.
• Working in partnership to deliver Tewa Banks community housing in Arrowtown which involved $10 million worth of land from QLDC, $20m worth of loans and grants from central government, and QLCHT delivering 68 homes with first homes ready for occupancy next month.
• Completing the Structure Plan for Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile and sending it to the Minister for the Environment for signoff. The plan is designed to ensure high quality urban development of predominantly medium and high-density housing.
• Refreshing our approach and focus on agreements with developers to facilitate further community housing contributions to QLCHT.
• Building insights and evidence by monitoring key housing indicators, listening to the community, conducting research, and utilising expert analysis.
• Creating and promoting Council’s Manaaki campaign to support people with housing needs and providing information about responsible short-term letting.

Ms Irwin said Council’s work would continue with a particular focus on three priority areas: monitoring and enforcing agreements with housing developers; investigating whether Council land could be used in the long term for housing; and looking at regulatory tools (such as rates and development contributions) that could be used to improve housing outcomes.

QLCHT Chief Executive Julie Scott noted she has plenty of updates for the community with over 100 homes currently under construction or in the design stage.

“We’re excited to share at the upcoming hui what we’re up to, as well as what we have in the pipeline. Feedback from the community influences the Trust’s strategic direction, so we hope plenty of folks will come along and provide feedback on plans”.

QLDC and QLCHT are hosting the community hui 6.30pm next Thursday 17 October at Queenstown Events Centre to provide updates and discuss local solutions to the district’s housing challenges.

The hui is open to all and is an opportunity for the Council and Trust to hear community members’ ideas, feedback, and questions. A similar hui is being planned for the Upper Clutha in the new year, which will be promoted after details are confirmed.

Housing Hui details:

• Where: Queenstown Events Centre Mezzanine Room (upstairs to the right)
• When: 6.30pm Thursday 10 October
• What: Updates on the Joint Housing Action Plan and the Housing Trust’s activities, and community discussion
• Presenters: QLDC Strategic Housing Officer Emily Irwin and QLCHT CE Julie Scott
• Hot drinks and light snacks provided!

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