Partnering for success: Momentum on affordable housing initiatives

Affordable housing is one of our community’s greatest challenges stretching back decades. Our district’s distinctive make up means we must be bold and think big in the solutions needed to help us balance the scales with the availability of affordable housing options.

And we have been doing just that, blazing new trails and partnering with others so we can do more together. Here are some fast facts highlighting Council’s commitment to prioritising affordable housing for our community.

1. The Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust was established by Council in 2007. Since then, the Trust has built and delivered a total of eight housing developments (119 homes) on land received through an inclusionary housing-type process, which along with other homes purchased has helped 244 local households remain in the area. Further housing developments (totalling over 100 homes) are also underway at Northlake, Hāwea and Arrowtown. See what other great work QLCHT has delivered for our community at qlcht.org.nz.

2. Council is working towards formalising inclusionary housing rules into the District Plan to help more people access affordable housing. These rules would require most new residential subdivisions and developments to pay an ‘affordable housing financial contribution’. This money would be collected by Council and provided to the QLCHT (or another registered community housing provider), providing an ongoing funding stream for affordable housing. Public submissions have closed on this proposal. A hearing will be scheduled soon. Find out more about inclusionary housing at qldc.govt.nz/inclusionary-housing

3. We have pulled important partners together to ensure a cohesive approach to housing. The Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan is governed by the Grow Well Whaiora partnership made up of us, central Government, Kai Tahu and Otago Regional Council. This sets out how we plan to ‘grow well’ into the future and prioritises a focus on access to affordable housing and well-designed neighbourhoods. Learn more about the Grow Well Whaiora partnership and our spatial plan at qldc.govt.nz/queenstown-lakes-spatial-plan

4. The Queenstown Lakes Homes Strategy was adopted by Council in December 2021. This strategy addresses the key challenges of affordability, choice, quality and government assistance. One of the outcomes of this strategy is the development of a Joint Housing Action Plan, in partnership with KTe Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and QLCHT. It will include actions for the Council and central government to improve affordable housing in our district. Stay tuned for a draft available for community consultation soon. Sign up at letstalk.qldc.govt.nz to be notified when the plan is available for consultation.

5. Council has applied to the Minister for the Environment to use a Streamlined Planning Process (SPP) to rezone the Te Pūtahi - Ladies Mile area to provide up to 2,400 more homes. This includes a range of densities and land uses to ensure a well-connected and sustainable community. A decision on next steps for this important area is expected soon.

A snapshot of our housing challenge

• Queenstown Lakes has been building enough houses over recent years to keep up with population growth. Based on building consent numbers and population growth data, about 1,081 additional homes were consented last year than were needed to meet population growth demands. This tells us that while building houses is important, building more will not solve the problem alone.

• Yet we are seeing a reduction in rental housing supply – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment rental bonds data shows close to 100 fewer rental homes available in November 2022 vs. November 2021.

• Short-term stay accommodation is just one part of the puzzle - Despite the popularity of short-term stay accommodation listings in Queenstown Lakes, listing numbers still remain lower than before the pandemic. Accounting for new housing stock and new short-stay accommodation listings, data suggest about 649 new houses were built above and beyond the needs of both population growth and short-term stay demand.

• Meanwhile, housing affordability remains a key challenge for the district, with the median cost of housing currently at $1.3M in Queenstown, $1.265M in Wanaka and $1.57M in Arrowtown. This has significant implications for the wellbeing of people in our district.

Learn more about affordable housing in Queenstown Lakes at: https://www.qldc.govt.nz/affordable-housing