Media release

31 July 2019

Housing consents fall, Kāpiti now more expensive than Porirua and the Hutt Valley

Kāpiti Coast mayoral candidate Gwynn Compton says the district’s housing crisis is continuing to deepen with QV data showing average house values in Kāpiti are now more expensive than both Porirua and the Hutt Valley. Meanwhile, just released Statistics NZ data shows residential building consents in Kāpiti have fallen to their lowest levels for a six month period since the current Council was elected, and their lowest levels since the first half of 2016, despite consents hitting highs not seen since the 1970s elsewhere in the country.

“We’ve been waiting years for Kāpiti Coast District Council to show leadership in addressing worsening housing affordability, and we’re still waiting to see meaningful action. With the quickly approaching opening of Transmission Gully set to further ramp up the pressure on Kāpiti’s housing stock, we need housing consents to be increasing, not falling,” says Gwynn Compton.

Gwynn Compton says that while the initial signs from Mayor K Gurunathan were promising when he set up the Kāpiti Coast Communities Housing Taskforce in 2017, the lack of follow through on the taskforce’s recommendations since they were delivered to Council two years ago is contributing to locals being squeezed out of Kāpiti by rising rents and property prices.

“We have a situation where urgent action could have and should have been taken in 2017 to get ahead of the growth that was obviously going to come from Transmission Gully. That missed opportunity is now hitting Kāpiti Coasters in the pocket as they have to shell out more and more money just to put a roof over their heads, or face leaving the communities they call home.

“We can’t stop people wanting to move here, so we need to be smart and proactive about how we handle that growth to ensure the Kāpiti Coast remains a community for everyone. It’s why I’ve promised that when I’m elected as Mayor I’ll make it a priority to address Kāpiti’s worsening housing affordability and social housing shortages, as Kāpiti Coasters cannot afford any more delays in dealing with this crisis.”

Gwynn Compton’s plan to deliver real action to address Kāpiti’s housing crisis is available at www.gwynncompton.co.nz/policies

ENDS

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