Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Wanaka family makes home ownership milestone

Wanaka family makes home ownership milestone with community housing trust

A Wanaka family has achieved housing independence in less than five years with the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.

Harvey and Kirstin Kane, along with their three children, moved into their three-bedroom Albert Town home in February 2012, under QLCHT’s Rent Saver scheme.

Rent Saver is a market rental programme that combines high quality secure tenure rental accommodation with a savings incentive built in to assist low and moderate income households into home ownership.

As part of this programme the Kane family paid a market rent while saving money each week to pay for their deposit. The Trust provided a financial incentive of matching the Kane’s savings for a deposit dollar for dollar, up to $13,000, over five years.

After just three-and-a-half years in the property, the Kanes had saved enough deposit themselves – along with with QLCHT’s contribution – to buy into the property under the Shared Ownership programme.

Fast forward another year, to September 2016, and the Kanes were able to buy the Trust out in full – achieving the independence they had always dreamed of.

“With the craziness that is the New Zealand property market at the moment we are very glad we entered the Shared Ownership programme when we did. Without the Trust’s programmes we may well still be renting and faced with an impossible task ahead of us, as many others are now,” Harvey says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Kirstin recalls walking along a nearby street watching the house being built and wishing it was them building it.

“In an economic era of unaffordable housing for middle-income New Zealanders, QLCHT provides a framework for families to be able to purchase a home. It isn't a magic wand, but it is a process which allows a family to prioritise owning the roof over their heads. There is no way we would have been able to purchase a home here otherwise,” she says.

“I think the main value in the Trust programmes for us was being able to choose when to move from Rent Saver to Shared Ownership on our own schedule,” Kirstin adds.

QLCHT executive officer Julie Scott says the Trust is delighted to see households transition through its programmes so quickly.

“It’s great to see households moving through the housing continuum to independence within such a short space of time. Our programmes are there to offer a hand-up for the household when they need it – we’re a stepping stone to independence, not a lifetime partnership.”

The Trust is presently building an 11-lot development in Albert Town, Wanaka, which will provide a mixture of tenures, including Shared Ownership, Rent Saver and Affordable Rentals. In Queenstown, the Trust has recently completed a 44-lot mixed tenure development at Shotover Country.

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.