Last week more than 65 local government, central government, and iwi representatives gathered in Hastings for the inaugural Taituarā showcase tour – this time to learn about the Hastings Place Based Housing Plan.
The Plan is an exemplar of what can be achieved when councils partner with central government, iwi, the not-for-profit sector and private providers, drawing on respective knowledge, strengths, and innovative leadership.
The Hastings District is facing a growing population and a severe housing shortage. The Plan brought together Hastings District Council, Ngāti Kahurangi, Crown Infrastructure Partners, Kāinga Ora, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Te Puni Kōkiri, and other agencies, to develop a vision and strategy to provide every whānau and household with safe, stable, healthy and affordable homes.
The Plan provides a bespoke solution to build new houses for ownership and for rental, and papakāinga across Hastings with a focus on kāinga paneke, kāinga pānuku – a move from temporary to permanent housing. The Plan encompasses affordable housing, market housing, Māori housing, senior housing, emergency housing, and seasonal worker accommodation, alongside skills training and employment creation.
The tour included visits to public housing developments in Hastings, greenfields developments in Hastings and Havelock North, a proposed housing development in Flaxmere, and a papakāinga development.
Taituarā Chief Executive, Karen Thomas, said that an important part of the tour was understanding the process taken to address the housing challenge.
“This project is an inspirational example of what can be achieved when agencies work in partnership to fully understand the extent of the problem, and work together on the solution.
“It’s more than a housing solution – but the creation of place. This process can be applied to other community challenges.”
The Showcase was the first of several planned by Taituarā this year. The next one will be a tour of The Southern Initiative in South Auckland later in the year. To register your interest for this tour, email us.