Affordable housing trust

Council has agreed to establish an Affordable Housing Trust. This trust will partner with Council, iwi partners and other organisations to deliver social and affordable housing in Kāpiti.   

This project is part of our work looking at how we can help more people access affordable housing in our district, one of the key actions from our Housing Strategy 2022.

Overview

The Kāpiti Coast is facing significant and growing housing access and affordability issues, and we need to address these urgently.  Housing is a complex issue, and it’s not solely the responsibility of one organisation or sector. At Council, we know we don’t hold all the solutions to the housing crisis, but we want to play our part and help others do the same.  

Council’s stepping up and taking a bigger role in housing, as we agreed with our community through consultation on the Long-term Plan 2021–41 and the 2022 housing strategy.  One of our key actions from the Kāpiti Coast District Council housing strategy was to look at how we can help more people access affordable housing in our district.   

Councillors are looking to establish an independent affordable housing entity that can work with our iwi partners and other organisations to deliver affordable housing to those in need, and have indicated they’d support the entity taking the form of an independent trust.

Proposed trust

Council staff developed a draft trust deed and relationship framework agreement which were approved in principle by Council on 29 February 2024. 

These are modelled on affordable housing entities established by councils in Queenstown, Wellington and Christchurch.  

• The Trust Deed is the legal document that creates and governs a trust.
• The Relationship Framework Agreement describes how Council and the trust will work together

Trustees

Seven members have been appointed to the new independent trust. Their job is to help create more affordable housing options in the Kāpiti Coast District.

Murray Edridge is the Wellington City Missioner and is the Council appointee to the Trust. Kāpiti-based, he has held governance and leadership roles in business, community, church, and sporting organisations and has worked with children and families for many years, including as chief executive of Barnardos New Zealand and deputy chief executive in the Ministry of Social Development. He was ordained in 2023. Rev Edridge comes from a commercial background as a chartered accountant. He lives in Kāpiti and has been appointed interim chair of the Trust.

Kim Tahiwi (Ngāti Raukawa) will represent Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti on the Trust. Kim is a kaiarahi (leader) representing Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast District’s independent Economic Development Kotahitanga Board.

Alison Cadman has worked in the community housing sector for 20 years. She is former chief executive of the Dwell Housing Trust, board member of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and trustee of the Newtown Ethical Lending Trust.

Cindy Foote brings 30 years of experience in property management to the Trust. She is the director/owner of local business Jade Property Management and has extensive networks in Kāpiti Coast District communities.

Greg Foster is territorial director of property and social housing with the Salvation Army. He has 25 years of experience working in governance and operational roles including Habitat for Humanity.

Waipuna Grace (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa and Te Ātiawa) is the kaiwhakahaere ratonga pakihi business services and community manager of Ngāti Toa community housing provider Te Āhuru Mōwai. She is also a member of the Kāpiti Coast Economic Development Kotahitanga Board.

Alexandra Hare is an executive adviser and governance professional with two decades of experience in the energy, water, and environmental sectors. Alexandra currently serves in multiple governance roles within the infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and non-profit sectors in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a member of Engineering New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

Next steps

The trustees will meet for the first time in September to begin work on establishing their work programme in readiness for the settling of the Trust, which is expected before Christmas 2024.

Timeline

What we’ve done

We’ve continued to progress the establishment of an affordable housing trust (sometimes referred to as a community land trust). 

Council passed a resolution in May 2022 that its preferred option was to establish an independent housing entity, and that it wanted to consult with the community on this. Consultation ended in March 2023, and confirmed high levels of community support for establishing an independent trust; these results were shared with Council in mid to late 2023. 

Council hosted a workshop with the community housing sector, including iwi providers, in September 2023. The sector indicated its support for Council to establish the trust. 

Council is now working to establish the independent affordable housing trust.