Reducing Debt Financing Barriers For Community Housing Providers

Thursday, 27 March 2025, 6:17 pm
Press Release: Community Housing Aotearoa

Community Housing Aotearoa – Ngā Wharerau o Aotearoa (CHA) welcomes today’s announcement from Minister of Housing, Chris Bishop of the coalition-government’s new liquidity facility and credit rating for the Community Housing Funding Agency (CHFA) to deliver lower-cost finance for Community Housing Providers (CHPs).

“This is a step towards providing the right financial conditions for CHPs to deliver more secure, affordable, long-term homes for people in areas with the greatest persistent unmet housing need,” said Paul Gilberd, Chief Executive, Community Housing Aotearoa.

We have actively worked for over a decade with numerous partners to establish a longer-term and lower-cost debt issuer to reduce the cost of new affordable and social housing supply. The key identified through this work and from evidence overseas is government support, which has now been delivered.

Today’s announcement acknowledges the coalition-government’s support of the community housing sector’s ability to deliver. It allows providers to deliver on the 1,500 new houses allocated in the 2024 budget and gives CHPs confidence to contribute to a future pipeline of new, sustainable, affordable housing in priority areas. The proposed loan guarantees are another step forward to unlock bank lending at lower rates for affordable homes.”

CHA also fully supports the Minister of Finance’s request for the Reserve Bank to review risk weighting settings for lending to CHPs. These combined actions will reduce the cost of building affordable homes.

“The volume of lending to registered CHPs is growing. Our CHPs are registered and regulated and are ready to be part of the country’s housing solution to get more New Zealanders into secure, affordable, long-term homes. We look forward to the outcomes of this review and unlocking reductions in borrowing costs for our members.”

About Community Housing Aotearoa

Community Housing Aotearoa (CHA) is a peak body for the community housing sector. To achieve our vision of ‘all New Zealanders well-housed’, we have a strategic focus on supporting a responsive housing system underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Right to a Decent Home.

Our member organisations provide homes for nearly 30,000 people nationally across 26,000 homes, and our partner members include developers, consultants, and local councils. Community Housing Organisations are primarily not for dividend entities that develop, own and/or manage social and affordable housing stock, with a variety of tenure offerings.

CHA is a proud Tangata Tiriti organisation and works closely with national Māori housing advocate Te Matapihi, which also represents iwi-based and Māori community housing organisations.

We believe all New Zealanders have the right to a decent home. A home that is affordable, secure, habitable, is near schools, transport and services and is culturally adequate.

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Community Housing Aotearoa

Nga Wharerau o Aotearoa

Community Housing Aotearoa is the peak body for New Zealand's community housing sector. Our 110 members build and manage affordable and social housing.

Our Vision is to make sure every New Zealander is well-housed in a warm, safe, dry and affordable home. This is a basic human right.

We work to support the growth and development of community housing providers to enable them to provide affordable and social housing.

We want to demonstrate that community housing is a critical element alongside private and government owned housing. No one can do it alone.

Community Housing Aotearoa aims to:

1. be the voice of the community housing sector
2. build capacity and foster collaboration
3. promote best practice in housing policy
4. champion quality and excellence.

Contact Community Housing Aotearoa

• Website - communityhousing.org.nz/
• Our Place - Learn how we think this can be achieved
• Phone - +64 4 385 8722
• About us - Our 2021 annual report is online here
• Email - support@communityhousing.org.nz
• Link - Members directory
• Physical Address - Level 11, Ranchhod Tower, 39 The Terrace/102-112 Lambton Quay, Wellington