Taskforce report helps progress conversation on housing issues

Kāpiti Coast District Council welcomes a taskforce report on local housing pressures and is keen to continue working with the community on solutions, including being a voice for the district in lobbying for change.

Mayor K Gurunathan says this is a complex, challenging issue that will need work by a lot of people, organisations and agencies to address.

“Housing is a fundamental right and we know there are people in our district, as elsewhere in New Zealand, who are struggling,” says the Mayor.

“With many interrelated factors it’s important that everyone plays their part in improving the situation.  Central government has a significant role and advocating for our district in this arena is part of the work we do, as is our role in being a housing provider for our older persons with a housing need.  We are committed to building on our work to date and working with the community to improve housing outcomes for our district.

“We appreciate the work the Kāpiti Coast Communities Housing Taskforce has done, gathering representatives from a number of different sectors to take a broad view on housing issues.

“The views of our community are important in setting the direction for our work.  Housing was one of the significant issues that arose in the early community workshops we held for our long term plan development, and we’re pleased to have received the taskforce report alongside community input on challenges and priorities that will direct the Council’s work for 2018/19 and beyond.

“We’ll be looking at each of the aspects highlighted by the report as work progresses on drafting our refreshed long term plan.  The Council already has work underway that will provide a solid foundation for decisions on how we move forward in addressing and advocating community needs.

“Affordability is a focus of some of this work. We’re gathering information now to get a clear picture of affordability challenges across the district, including the role of rates, so that addressing affordability can be an integral part in our planning.

“We also have research and data analysis underway as part of our work in relation to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity.  This work will help inform Council about the current capacity and demand for housing.

“As the taskforce has noted, this is a challenge that needs action from the community and government to progress.  We look forward to continuing to work together on this vital issue.”

The development of the Council long term plan, including any actions planned to address housing issues, will be the subject of a series of public workshops later this year and community feedback will be sought on the draft plan early in 2018.