EASTERN PORIRUA HOUSING STRATEGY

The Challenge

• To develop a housing strategy for the eastern Porirua Regeneration Programme - the first urban development project to be mandated under the Wellbeing Budget. This work is being undertaken to deepen the knowledge of government, council and community housing sector about how the Wellington region could house more people, through providing a broader range of housing options (typologies and tenures) that better meet the needs of residents. 

The Journey 

• This includes developing an opportunities report which explores how to diversify the housing ecosystem by addressing the challenges facing the intermediate housing market. A key focus of this work is to outline the potential for adopting innovative delivery models such as cooperative housing, community land trusts as a means of addressing affordability issues, social isolation and potential gentrification of the area due to the investment being made into the area. This involved:
• Research into the current and future demographics of the area, and future lifestyle trends;
• Reviewing and synthesising relevant content from reports about housing affordability, supply and demand, development economics and yield studies for the programme;
• Stakeholder workshops to identify issues, opportunities and key objectives of each sector that needs to play a role in housing delivery;  
• Analysing the community engagement outputs (undertaking by engagement team); 
• Redefining how we assess future housing demand; 
• Outlining the potential for innovative solutions;
• Defining the key requirements of the new development models, and actions required by government, council, community and the community housing sector (and its associated organisations). 

The Outcome

The eastern Porirua housing strategy was developed from an evidence-based narrative of the dynamic demand for housing in the eastern Porirua community. Dynamic demand goes beyond statistical projections of future housing need, to analyse a rich combination of qualitative data about the community, and quantitative information about housing needs and preferences from the community. This analysis informed recommendations about what community-focused housing models might be suitable and opportune for the communities in eastern Porirua, to meet their real housing needs now and into the future. A potential pilot community-led housing initiative was proposed, to demonstrate how innovative housing models can satisfy the specific housing needs of key household types or cultural groups. To guide the next steps for delivering the housing strategy in eastern Porirua, the strategy report identified the key actions required of delivery partners, community members, future residents, community housing providers, and iwi and government agents. These actions were grouped across five key areas of consideration: people, policy, education & awareness, land and finance.