Temporary Accommodation Service Activates To Support People Affected By Wairoa Flooding

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated today to support people displaced by flooding in Wairoa.

People who cannot return to their homes and need assistance in finding temporary accommodation can now register for support through TAS.

“If people are staying in accommodation provided by Civil Defence or with friends or whānau and need a longer-term accommodation solution while their home is being repaired, we can help,” says Fadia Mudafar, TAS Response Controller.

“The TAS team will work with every household to establish their needs and connect them with available accommodation.”

People can register their details at www.temporaryaccommodation.mbie.govt.nz or call 0508 754 163.

MBIE also encourages tenants and landlords of rental properties to familiarise themselves with their tenancy rights and obligations at www.tenancy.govt.nz.

Temporary accommodation is different to ‘shelter’ and ‘emergency accommodation’, which is provided for a short period by civil defence and emergency management agencies. Temporary accommodation is used for short to medium terms, providing households with accommodation while repairs are undertaken following a Civil Defence Emergency.

Wherever possible TAS uses existing, undamaged residential housing as temporary accommodation. Where there is a shortage of rental accommodation in the affected area, TAS procures and deploys additional housing supply for temporary accommodation to support residential housing recovery.

The Temporary Accommodation Service remains active in response to the July 2021 flooding in Westport, the 2022 Nelson flooding in August, the 2023 Auckland flooding, 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Wairoa wet weather event.

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