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Social housing development offers residents ability to use electric cars
Residents of a new social housing development in Auckland’s Glen Eden will be able to book and drive two electric cars as part of a trial to reduce their transport costs.
Visionwest has built 24 apartments on land near the local baptist church that founded the organisation, and people who are on the Ministry of Social Development’s housing register move in next month.
Chief executive Lisa Woolley said it wanted to help provide affordable housing and the subsidised rent included the use of two electric cars.
“Running a car is expensive, it’s especially expensive right now … and so what we’ve provided through partnership with others are two bookable EV cars.”
She said the apartments were close to both bus and train stations.
“Our hope is that in time the tenants won’t even need to own a car. We’re excited about that, it’s about making a sustainable transport option for the whanau that live there,” Wolley said.
“Once we get whanau in we’ll be able to share with them how they can use those cars, we’re really keen to see them well used.”
There were more than 1100 people on the wait list for public housing in West Auckland and more than 19,000 waiting across the country.
Visionwest’s outreach team worked alongside many people struggling to find stable housing and afford basic living costs.
“There a lots of varied reasons why people are in housing distress … we need more houses that are for social and affordable housing to make sure that people can access affordable housing with the right support,” Woolley said.
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Visionwest housed more than 1000 households and last year helped 441 families move into permanent housing.
The 24 apartments were among 800 tenancies it managed, including 200 town houses it owned.
The apartments were the fist stage of its Village of Hope – Te Kāinga o te Tūmanako, which officially opened on Tuesday.
The development was supported by the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport with financing from the Community Housing Funding Agency and Visionwest’s own funding.
Woolley said the residents would have access to wraparound support and be in a community that included kaumatua and older residents, people with disabilities, families and single adults.
Visionwest helped to provide housing, food support, financial mentoring, youth, counselling and home healthcare.
“Community housing providers play an important role in providing and increasing the supply of social and affordable housing. Alongside this provision, the wrap around support is equally important to ensure whanau can get the support they need as they look at their goals for their future and the future of their children,” said Woolley.
Eight ground-floor apartments were designed for accessible living and reserved for kaumatua and older residents, and those with disabilities.
Woolley said when people had secure housing, they started to thrive.
“We’ve learnt over many years that permanent housing with the right supports is transformational in giving whānau the stability and confidence they need to build hope for the future,” she said.rnz
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
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