A new model of affordable housing is under consideration for the Queenstown Lakes District that will address the needs of moderate and low-income residents, including families, without distorting or devaluing the existing market.

Mayor Jim Boult said that the new Mayoral Housing Taskforce chaired by QLDC Councillor John MacDonald, which met for the first time today, was unanimous in supporting the concept.

“Let me state upfront that it is of primary importance that what we do does not affect the value of housing on the open market in Queenstown now. That has never been our intention.

“This is about creating an affordable housing model that works alongside the existing private and commercial ownership system. We have a series of outcomes which we are interested in pursuing and which we believe will create non-market affordable housing which will significantly assist affordable living in our district.”

The new model would incorporate both rental stock and homes for purchase, with a variety of options for those wanting to buy their property.

“It’s too early to give details. This is a complicated piece of work that will require long-term modelling to assess the effects, but we know what we want to achieve.”

Mr Boult said it could be several months before the taskforce was able to release more details, but he was confident that progress would be steady because all participants were agreed on what they needed to achieve.

He said the members of the taskforce were invited to participate based on their skillset, knowledge and the sectors they represented. “The group is aware of the urgency around this are we are all keen to see tangible outcomes.”

Mr Boult said that while the taskforce was developing its new model with Queenstown as the focus, “everything that we are envisaging would be replicated in Wanaka, and we will be sharing our findings with the Wanaka housing working group.”

He noted the excellent work already being done by the Queenstown Lakes Housing Trust, which continues to play an central role supporting families into their own home.

ENDS

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