The Paekākāriki Housing Trust is delighted to see KCDC has adopted the Housing Strategy and would love to see a community land trust (CLT) set up by council. The recent housing needs analysis undertaken by council shows we have urgent housing needs in Paekākāriki and on the Kāpiti Coast. A CLT is an important part of a range of tools to address these needs.
Here in Paekākāriki, we have a lack of housing for mana whenua, very few appropriate housing options for older locals when they can no longer live in their family homes, and a huge affordability problem. The sea is encroaching and in the future we’ll need alternatives for those in the front line. The Housing Trust has no capital and a CLT will give us opportunities to address housing needs that don’t exist for us now, particularly with the opportunities Wainuiwhenua might bring.
We’ll be also asking that KCDC ensures this is done in partnership with Mana Whenua – not ‘consulting’ them after decisions have been made. It needs to be sustainable – both in terms of its funding and its outcomes for the environment and communities. The CLT needs to have enough flexibility to adjust to needs as they change and to opportunities as they arise. We also want to see KCDC employing other tools such as developer contributions and zoning requirements to ensure affordable housing is part of well-designed developments. We want to see good urban design, not more streets and streets of large houses with double garages and requiring people to use cars to get to work, shops, school, services, play and social connection.
We believe a good community is no accident and we need your support on this one.
This is another opportunity for us all to ensure councillors know that housing is a human right, urban design needs to address the climate crisis and community connections, and council has an important part to play. We’d appreciate as many people as possible to respond to the survey in support of KCDC taking a strong role in addressing the housing crisis and of them setting up a community land trust. There will likely be some loud voices in opposition to this and if large numbers of people don’t express their support, it may not happen, so please do take the time to complete the survey – it only takes a few minutes.
Or you might want to connect with Stephen Cross, the new Housing Programme Manager. He is keen to talk with organisations and individuals about the implementation of the Housing Strategy and the Council’s role, you can contact him via email Stephen.cross@kapiticoast.govt.nz or telephone 2964 700.
Please contact us if you need our support, have ideas or want to get involved.
Here is the link to the affordable housing strategy survey so you can have your say.