In five years, the waitlist for social housing in Hastings has increased from 57 people to approximately 640. The Place Based Housing Solution is the result of a conversation between the council, the Crown, iwi, NGOs and social service providers that has tackled an interwoven series of complex housing needs. The solution includes planning, urban design, social service delivery and funding solutions.
The Judges said: Housing is New Zealand’s largest public policy challenge, but its effects are felt primarily at a local level. This is an excellent example of a council taking a leadership role to identify a local issue and mobilise a diverse collection of actors to deliver an outcome in actual bricks and mortar. This is another example of the community-based solution that Parliament intended when it restored well-being to the statutory purpose of local government in 2019.
