New landlord for 1140 Tauranga HNZ tenants

  • Amy Adams
Social Housing HNZC

From next month, Accessible Properties will take over 1138 social houses and tenancies owned by Housing New Zealand.

“This is the first regional, large-scale transfer of Government-owned social houses to a community housing provider. They are a major plank of our plan to improve social housing,” says Social Housing Minister Amy Adams.

“While the ownership of these social houses in Tauranga may change, nothing changes for the tenants – the house is a social house before the transfer and remains one after it, but the sale proceeds can be used to build even more social houses in the areas of most demand. The programme is designed so that we will get more houses overall, while ensuring tenants are better off.”

Social Housing Minister Amy Adams was in Tauranga for the opening of Accessible’s base of operations in Tauranga with Associate Social Housing Minister Alfred Ngaro, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, and Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller.

“Accessible Properties has a proud history in New Zealand over more than 60 years of making a positive difference for tenants in the properties they already own. They have strong links to the Tauranga region, including a formal arrangement with local iwi and a good understanding of local community services,” says Ms Adams.

“In addition to the social houses being transferred, they have committed to providing an extra 153 properties in Tauranga, which will go a long way toward addressing the need for more social housing in this rapidly-growing city.

“The Social Housing Reform Programme has been designed so that it can be a win for the tenants, and community providers who want to step up to serve communities of need, and see more social houses built across NZ .”

Note to Editor: Our social housing plan

This year, the Government will spend $2.3 billion supporting 310,000 households with their accommodation. Those seeking immediate shelter can access an emergency Special Needs Grant so they have a warm, safe place to stay while they search for more sustainable housing. We have invested $354 million to help 8600 families every year with transitional housing, with 3660 of these to be in Auckland. We are also planning to grow the number of social houses available, from 66,000 today to 72,000 over the next three years.