Queenstown’s council estimates 17,000 more homes will be needed over the next 30 years across the district – but they’re already banking on 7000 affordable homes not being delivered.
The council’s draft ‘joint housing action plan’, or JHAP, is one of six priorities for the ‘Grow Well Whaiora Partnership’ and Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan.
A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) staffer says it was established for the Queenstown-Lakes in July, 2021, between government, council and Kāi Tahu.
Otago Regional Council’s also involved.
‘‘Through the partnership, the government is enabling affordable housing supply (in the right places) with a focus on priority development areas.
‘‘This includes involvement in the masterplan for Ladies Mile, providing for around 2500 new dwellings.
‘‘A cross-agency taskforce has been established to ensure quality and integrated urban development with housing choice.’’
The spokesman says the government’s also working with its Grow Well Whaiora partners on a joint plan to ‘‘address the challenges in
the district’s housing system’’ — that’s the housing action plan, developed by council, Kāinga Ora, HUD, and Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.
A high-level update on that, presented to a Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce housing seminar on Tuesday, says the district remains one of the most expensive places in New Zealand to buy and rent a house, and the build costs here are 36% higher than the national average.
With demand to double the existing housing stock by 2053, the report says there is enough zoned land, and planned for zoning, to meet the amount of housing, but the market’s not delivering affordable homes.
The focuses of the draft plan — due to go out for consultation next month — include increasing provision of affordable housing, influencing and incentivising its development, and finding solutions to the rental shortage.
For its part, HUD’s other initiatives in Queenstown include partnering with Ngāi Tahu Property on the Te Pā Tāhuna development, supporting the housing trust’s secure home programme and its public housing portfolio, while it’s exploring ‘‘other opportunities’’ to grow affordable and public housing supply.
