PCC Pleased HNZ to Improve Porirua Homes

Porirua City Council welcomes recent information from Housing New Zealand Corporation about their ongoing work programme for the 2698 state houses they manage in Porirua.

The Council raised concerns about the insulation and maintenance of a number of Porirua properties when HNZ attended a Council Te Komiti meeting in June.

Te Komiti chairperson Euon Murrell says he is pleased that HNZ has "fronted up".

"I'm delighted they have given us a work programme that clearly identifies what they plan to do for their housing stock here in Porirua. The proposed work will have a big impact on the health of those families whose homes are earmarked for improvements. I'm also very pleased that HNZ is committed to redevelopment projects in Porirua such as Castor Loop and Cannons Creek.

Over the next 12 months HNZ have promised to:

• Improve the roofs in 50 Porirua state houses ($400,000)
• modernise 179 properties ($1.7 million)
• install new energy efficient heating sources in 52 properties ($179,000)
• invest $104,000 on other interventions such as floor replacements, fencing and driveways
• continue their maintenance programme affecting 288 houses in Porirua-Kapiti ($864,000)
• insulate 237 properties ($360,000)

HNZ has said it is committed to insulating properties where practical, but that some cannot be insulated for structural reasons (such as concrete floors) and these will be sold to the private sector.

"Selling these homes could merely shift the problem and this highlights the need to lift the regulations regarding housing standards in the rental market," says Clr Murrell.

"We welcome the recommendation in the Experts Advisory Group Solutions to Child Poverty report released last week, calling for a Rental Housing Warrant of Fitness to ensure all rentals (both social housing and private rentals) meet minimum health and safety standards. Current regulatory arrangements in this area have not been amended since 1947."

The EAG report notes that 70% of all children living in poverty live in rental accommodation (20% in state houses and 50% in private rentals).

"With Porirua's youthful population it is critical that we do all we can to lift housing standards. Only then will we be able to see progress in reducing our high rates of rheumatic fever, respiratory illness and serious skin infections in children."

ENDS

© Scoop Media