By Newsroom
"It’s not social housing that Queenstown needs, it’s homes for working people and those trying to get on the property ladder"
That's the stark reality of the new normal according to Julie Scott who runs the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.
Queenstown is deeper in the housing crises than most parts of our region, a victim of its own stunning scenery and beauty, but parts of the Waikato are not far behind. And that's the focus of the Waikato Housing Initiative - not social housing but that missing piece of the housing continuum: affordable rentals and first homes.
System change is required with new models to deliver affordability - and the Inclusionary Zoning tool used in Queenstown that will eventually help address these issues is now also being looked at here in the Waikato, starting with Waipā District Council. Julie and her team have generously shared of their experiences and learnings so that we here in the Waikato can act before we are forced to live the reality already there in Queenstown!
