Tātau Tātau o te Wairoa chief executive Lewis Ratapu (left) has voiced concerns over MBIE's handling of temporary housing in Wairoa. TAS ensures it is working closely to help affected community members and Toitu Tairāwhiti, who have helped supply cabins.
Tātau Tātau o te Wairoa chief executive Lewis Ratapu (left) has voiced concerns over MBIE's handling of temporary housing in Wairoa. TAS ensures it is working closely to help affected community members and Toitu Tairāwhiti, who have helped supply cabins.
Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa’s chief executive, Lewis Ratapu, said there was a desperate need for more comprehensive housing support from the Government for Wairoa after the recent floods and Cyclone Gabrielle last year.
However, MBIE and its Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) arm have said changes were being made, and they were working closely with affected families and stakeholders.
Ratapu said when Tātau Tātau mentioned Toitu Tairāwhiti and their building partner Builtsmart to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on his recent visit to Wairoa, he immediately recognised the programme.
Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa and Toitu Tairāwhiti have urgently requested 45 additional cabins from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
“The proposed camper vans and Kāinga Ora container homes are not suitable for our needs. We still have over 120 whānau in temporary accommodation from Gabrielle, with many expected to remain for another four to five months,” Ratapu said.
“Adding another 120 only lengthens the time people will need accommodation while their homes are being repaired. The additional 120 homes, on top of the 150 from Gabrielle, mean we have a severe shortage of trades and escalating costs.”
Each Toitu Tairawhiti cabin was a self-contained unit with kitchens and bathrooms. They had been strategically placed next to flood-damaged homes, offering immediate relief to affected whānau.
Last year, the collective delivered 14 cabins to Wairoa within four weeks of Cyclone Gabrielle as part of its iwi housing prototype, which was developed in collaboration with the .
Lewis Ratapu of Tātau Tātau o te Wairoa. Photo / RNZ - Tom Kitchin
Ratapu said a major concern was that the agency applied a Hawke’s Bay regional rental rate to people in Wairoa without considering the increased associated living costs and the fact that people have to replace furniture and repair homes.
“The process to apply for any reduction is difficult, and many of our whānau just give up. We have decided to set a rate that just covers our operating costs and is $65 less.”
Al Bruce, national manager, Temporary Accommodation Service, said the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) acknowledged the difficult circumstances that residents in Wairoa were experiencing.
“The Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has connected with Toitu Tairāwhiti and looks forward to working closely together to support impacted community members who require temporary accommodation,” he said.
He noted that while TAS covers most accommodation costs, households must make a weekly contribution towards the cost of their temporary accommodation.
“Weekly contribution amounts are established at the start of a new response and are based on 90% of the lowest market rent in the impacted region,” he said.
After feedback from a number of community stakeholders who supported the Wairoa community with its recent flooding, Bruce said the organisation had reviewed the weekly contributions for this accommodation response.
As a result, TAS rates for commercial accommodation in Wairoa no longer took into account market rent across the wider Hawke’s Bay region, which meant weekly contributions have been reduced.
“These reduced rates have been applied to all households that TAS continues to support in the Wairoa region. TAS also has a range of furnished relocatable accommodation options it can offer to displaced households, which start from $50.00 per week.”
Bruce said TAS also had a hardship policy to assist households that were facing financial difficulty including taking into account fixed housing costs.
“The process has recently been improved to make it easier for whānau to request a change to their weekly contribution amount.”
According to those on the ground, early feedback from some groups of affected people recommended motorhomes as a preferred temporary accommodation, Bruce said.
Ratapu also emphasised the need for new strategies to consider a long-term view of housing resilience and sustainability.
“Many whānau in temporary accommodation will move back into their homes once repaired, and another whānau will move in,” he said.
“We need permanent housing to ensure we can provide a continuum of housing options for whānau, so they don’t get stuck in short-term accommodation.”
Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa has also requested that 30 social homes be allocated to Wairoa from the 1700 announced in the May Budget.
On more short-term options, Bruce said TAS had secured a small number of commercial accommodation options, such as private rentals, in the Wairoa region.
“There is also sufficient commercial accommodation in surrounding regions, including Mahia, Napier and Gisborne. The strong preference from the Wairoa community is for relocatable accommodation options that will allow whānau to remain on their whenua, and TAS is focused on options such as sleepouts and cabins.”
TAS was working with the local council and the community to “deploy these options as soon as possible”.
“Motorhomes can be deployed very quickly and may be a suitable short-term option for whānau who are unable to relocate outside of the region while they wait for a cabin.”
Those experiencing difficulties related to TAS costs can contact the agency by phone at 0508 754 163 or email at TemporaryAccommServ@mbie.govt.nz.
