23 June 2025
HUD2025-007082
Brodie Fraser
[FYI request #30951 email]
Tēnā koe Brodie
Thank you for your email dated 12 May 2025 to Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing
and Urban Development (the Ministry) requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
copies of any contract reports, including narrative reports, prepared by housing first
providers contracted by HUD, who have clients under 25 or support whānau with children,
for the final quarter of 2024? I am uninterested in financial reporting or any
personal/identifying details of clients or staff. I am particularly interested in contract reports
that give information relating to:
- Approaches providers have identified as being effective (particularly any that relate to
children and young people under 25)
- What doesn’t work, or hinders their ability to effectively carry out their work (particularly in
terms of contracting requirements and constraints)
- Suggestions of improvements that could be made, or opportunities to improve support and
delivery
- What extra support providers are giving to clients beyond what they’re contracted to
deliver
Four documents have been found to be within scope of your request and are released to you with
information withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons.
The documents are detailed in the attached document schedule.
In terms of section 9(1) of the Act, I am satisfied that, in the circumstances, the decision to withhold
information under section 9 of the Act is not outweighed by other considerations that render it
desirable to make the information available in the public interest.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of my response by the Ombudsman, in
accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The relevant details can be found on the Ombudsman’s
website at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
As part of our ongoing commitment to openness and transparency, the Ministry proactively
releases information and documents that may be of interest to the public. As such, this response,
with your personal details removed, may be published on our website.
Nāku noa, nā
JT Schutte
Manager Commercial and Contracts
Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Annex A: Document schedule
Documents released – HUD2025-007082
Date
Document
Section
of the
Act
applied
1.
July 2024
Kāhui Tū Kaha Housing First Auckland Narrative Report July-
9(2)(a)
December 2024
2.
July 2024
Housing First Hawke’s Bay Six-Monthly Report: 01 July to 31
9(2)(a)
December 2024
3.
16 October He Herenga Kura Housing First Quarterly Report
9(2)(a)
2024
4.
10 April
He Herenga Kura Housing First Quarterly Report
9(2)(a)
2025
Housing First Auckland Narrative Report
July-December 2024
Introduction
Through our Housing First contract within Auckland, we provide permanent housing and
ongoing support to people who have been homeless for 12 months or more, or who have been
homeless three times within three years. This report is intended to assist with future planning
towards our shared vision of making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Summary of outputs
Over the period July-December 129 individuals and their whānau were housed for the first time.
This equates to 53.8% of our annual contracted volume.
A further 528 individuals and their whānau who had been previously housed were provided with
ongoing intensive support to sustain their tenancy.
There have been four exits from the service: two individuals have moved back into Transitional
Housing, while the other two have moved into private accommodation and no longer require
further support.
What worked well?
Proactive communication regarding tenancy issues
A proactive approach to communication with both tāngata and tenancy staff worked well to
create productive dialogue around tenancy issues and ongoing support. Regular engagement
with tāngata allowed staff to build on whakawhanaungatanga over time. The trusting
relationship created allowed tāngata to raise issues around their permanent housing under a
residential tenancy, or the service delivered.
We also took a proactive approach to discussing tenancy issues internally. In addition to ad hoc
communications around tenancy issues, such as rent arrears, noise complaints and payment
plans, fortnightly tenancies meetings provided an opportunity to approach and resolve issues
collaboratively.
Strong relationships with key external and internal stakeholders
Over the last six months we have maintained strong relationships with other organisations
working in homelessness within Tāmaki Makaurau, such as Te Māhurehure Marae, Mataatua
Marae, Papakura Marae, Manurewa Marae, De Paul House, Salvation Army, Bays Community
Trust, and the Counties Manukau Gang Engagement Team. These connections have assisted us
in reaching more people in need of support, and in accessing services that are unavailable
internally.
Similarly, working closely with our transitional housing service managers has allowed us to
house tāngata who have been staying at one of our transitional housing sites.
1
Improved availability of larger homes
Over the last six months we have had improved access to 3, 4 and 5-bedroom homes, which
has allowed us to house larger families more promptly. This has allowed us to house more
Pacific and Muslim whānau in multi-generational households, affirming one of the Housing First
core principles of consumer choice and self-determination.
Challenges encountered
Delays in assessments for social housing and rent redirections
Delays in the processing of social housing applications and the processing of rent redirection
forms have presented barriers to outcome achievement.
In terms of delays on social housing applications, there have been instances where a social
housing application was signed and returned to an MSD branch but when staff followed up
weeks later, they discovered the application had not been processed. These instances cause
distress for tāngata and put them at risk of losing their potential property. To avoid these
situations happening again, staff have been building closer connections with staff at specific
branches to facilitate communication around the completion of assessment within the
expected time periods.
We have also had multiple instances where redirection forms have not been processed in a
timely manner. This has left tāngata in rent arrears only one or two weeks into their tenancies,
which causes unnecessary stress. To prevent this happening in future, we have started checking
that redirection has occurred on the day of sign-up and following up a few days later to ensure it
has been actioned.
Increased incidence of family harm and gang activity
Over the last six-month period we have seen an increase in incidence of family harm and of
gang activity at our properties.
Sadly, we have seen a recent surge in incidents of family harm. Many of the victims have been
single māmā, living alone with their children. There has been a need for our staff to act swiftly
when we become aware of these incidents. While staff have provided timely support, there is a
recognised need for further learning in de-escalation strategies and knowledge of who to notify.
Training is planned for early 2025.
Increased gang activity at the properties has mostly been whānau of the tāngata we have
housed. In a few cases, the people with gang affiliations have taken over the property and
prevented the tangata who we support from returning to their residence. To safely manage this
issue we have made connections with the Gang Engagement Team (G.E.T) based at Counties
Manukau Police. We have been able to liaise with the GET team to have discussion with gang
leaders of gangs such as the Mongrel Mob, Black Power, and Rebels about gang members
overtaking properties. This has allowed us to avoid having staff interacting with gang members
on site, mitigating risk to staff.
2
Direct support and facilitated access provided to address identified
needs
Our support over the last six months comprised of support to obtain permanent housing and
ongoing support to maintain tenancies.
Housing support
• Supporting tāngata to create and maintain social housing registration profiles
• Accessing Housing Brokers to identify suitable housing options
• Assisting tāngata with applications and teaching them how to utilise online tools such
as TradeMe Property effectively
• Referring suitable searches to property locators internally to have discussions with
Landlords/Property management
• Assistance with routine inspections and remedying any damages that occur throughout
tenancy
• Assistance with rent and invoice arrears
Budgeting and financial support
• Advocating for tāngata to ensure correct entitlements are received
• Supporting tāngata with accessing MSD grants
• Working in collaboration with community budgeters to teach financial literacy and
budgeting advice
Employment support
• Supporting tāngata to build a profile on job seeking websites
• Referring tāngata to services that can assist with CV-writing
Strengthening community connections and linking with other support
services
• Facilitating access to culturally-based supports eg. Te Oho Mauri wānanga, Turuki
Healthcare wānanga
• Referring tāngata to local services such as GPs and support with obtaining a driver
license
• Encouraging tāngata to engage with community services independently
• Assistance with reconnection back to tūrangawaewae
K’s story
*Initials are used to protect the privacy of our tāngata.
K, a wahine Māori s 9(2)(a) , and her partner had been living out of their car before they went
into emergency housing.
Staying in emergency housing was a turbulent time for K and her partner. There were many
altercations on site, and ultimately K and her partner separated. After this, K started standing in
her own rangatiratanga. She started to focus on herself and was motivated to change her life
around.
3
K was supported into our transitional housing sites s 9(2)(a)
. While there, she started taking
part in the weekly kapa hapa rōpū at Takaanini Library. Staff observed K having an ability to guide
other tāngata towards a better path.
A suitable property was found for K s 9(2)(a)
. She is now in permanent housing there and has
found part-time mahi for herself s 9(2)(a)
. K is doing well. She has cut down how much
she was smoking cigarettes. She is helping guide other tāngata to make good decisions for their
futures. She has also just graduated from the Te Oho Mauri wānanga
, held at Mataatua Marae,
which explored wellbeing through a te ao Māori lens.
The pathway to independence has been a long one for K – but wraparound supports have got her
to a good place. K is now standing in her rangatiratanga and ready for our support to come to an
end.
4
Housing First Hawke’s Bay six-monthly Report: 01 July to 31 December 2024
Trends or impacts that
What works and what should you do more of? What doesn't work? What improvements could you make or what opportunities have
influence outcomes
you identified?
WHAT WORKS:
•
The Housing First Team – The Team Leader position that had been vacant since December 2023 was filled in September 2024.
The team leader came from WIT Emergency and Transitional Housing Team. Her competence as leader meant she was able to
hit the ground running. Her focus has been on supporting the Kaimahi in the community and developing their and expand their
knowledge of their use of Hua Oranga, our new Outcomes framework of assessment, designed to have an inclusive response to
recovery from whanau pounamu, whanau, and kaimahi.
•
Housing First Motels – We successfully vacated all three of our Covid Motels over the last six months. This was a huge piece of
work and is a credit to the HF keyworkers that they were able to house most of the whanau in motels within a short space of time.
They also managed to support the whanau to stay well during what was a stressful period of uncertainty.
• At the s 9(2)(a)
we transferred two whanau to the s 9(2)(a)
, two to a WIT managed property and one went into a
boarding situation.
• At the s 9(2)(a)
we moved two whanau into WIT managed properties on a fixed term contract as these houses wil be returned
to Kainga Ora in June next year. This allows for more time to find a suitable long-term property. One whanau went to a private
rental and is currently thriving. Another whanau went to a WIT managed property in Maraenui. One whanau went to one of the
new build Iwi managed properties in Maraenui and another whanau went into a boarding situation. Whilst there was some initial
anxiety for the whanau over the move, they managed the transition well.
IN-CONFIDENCE
• s 9(2)(a)
we had 2 whanau. We ended service with one of them due to concerns over drug-use at the motel
and lack of engagement overall. We also ended service with the second whanau due to non-engagement and unwil ingness to
look at houses.
•
Networking – It has been a busy time for networking. We have continued to strengthen our relationship with Katie Nimon, the
National MP for Napier. She has supported us by raising awareness of homelessness within her circle of influence. Our
relationship with Kainga Ora has resulted in several of our chronically homeless whanau being housed and we are developing a
strong working relationship with their sustaining tenancies team to support the whanau after they have moved in. Our
relationship with Kuhu Mai (Outreach, Hastings) in Hastings is going from strength to strength. Our Kaimahi visited regularly to
engage with whanau there which has resulted in several referrals to Housing First. WIT has signed an MOU with Kuhu Mai which
will result in more opportunities for Housing First to work alongside the chronically homeless in Hastings. We have also met with
Hastings District Council and are currently exploring more housing opportunities for the most vulnerable of our homeless
whanau in Hastings. We attended several community events to promote the service, and WIT also hosted an event which
brought all the key agencies in Hawkes Bay together. Following this we were able to connect some of our Housing First whanau
to support agencies, especially those from the Pasifika community. We were invited to speak at a community event for the local
Circuit Judges where we delivered an impactful speech about sentencing outcomes for our Housing First whanau, which
resulted in positive connections made with the Court Coordinators and the Judges. Over the coming months we will work on
more effective ways to support whanau through the Court system to ensure they don’t lose their homes, and they stay out of
prison. Our Housing Services Manager supported two Housing First Kaimahi with Lived experience to Christchurch to participate
in the Housing First Community of Practice Annual Hui. They shared a presentation focussed on lived experience and the
benefits of this in engaging with people living with mental health and addiction chal enges. The Kaimahi were able to connect
with other Housing First agencies and share learning opportunities and make connections. Fol owing this, our manager worked
directly with Kainga Ora to set up a hui for al the NGOs working in the housing sector to explore ways of cooperating to address
the increasing levels of homelessness in our region. It was named “Community Housing Response Col ective” to address the
number of whanau struggling to maintain their housing situation and the rising numbers of whanau facing eviction from Kainga
Ora houses. It is hoped working together will have a beneficial impact on the homeless whanau we al support.
• Housing first HB was instrumental in leading the new operations in the Hawkes Bay region for
Orange Sky. A laundry service
available for all communities to engage as well as those living on the streets.
IN-CONFIDENCE
•
Kaimahi development – Our new assessment framework has now been fully rolled out to the team and we are working on fine
tuning the skills of the Kaimahi in its delivery. The Outcomes framework Hua Oranga works as an inclusive process for all
involved to practice in partnership and find early interventions whether it be training for kaimahi, resources for whanau, or
listening and understanding whanau pounamu whakapapa. We wil be renewing our focus over the next 6 months on Te Powhiri
Poutama model of engagement to provide cultural guidance in their practice, building the confidence of our Kaimahi. Another
focus over the next 6 months is on effective ways to support people with addictions, not only to sustain their tenancies, but also
their wellbeing. The use of synthetic drugs is prevalent in the homeless community, and we are supporting the team to build
their skill in finding effective ways to address their addictions. Harm reduction is not only learning, but also about tools and
narratives to build into practice that is specific to the type of addiction, environment, community, individual, goal orientated,
and recovery focused.
•
Individual Supports to whanau –
• We supported whanau to set up daily routines that help them sustain their tenancies. We set weekly action steps with the
whanau to help them work towards achieving their housing and wel being goals. The goals are reviewed every three months
through the Hua Oranga process.
• We supported whanau to access medical care through their GPs or via the Hassle-Free Clinic held at the Lighthouse Services in
Napier and Hastings. They have also accessed a MH clinic held there every fortnight, facilitated by the NGO Liaison Nurse from
Te Whatu Ora.
• Whanau have been able to access nurse clinics at Napier Outreach, facilitated by Kuhu Mai nurse, Te Whatu Ora and by Te
Kupenga Haora mobile clinic. 2
• Whanau have been supported to access MSD appointments, both face-to-face and phone appointments. Some of our whanau
are trespassed from MSD so having someone to advocate for them is essential.
• Whanau have been supported to engage with Kainga Ora for assessments, allocation of housing and to address any matters
arising after being placed in Kainga Ora homes.
IN-CONFIDENCE
• Whanau have been supported with Oranga Tamariki to help them make the necessary changes to keep their children in their
care or engage with children they have not had contact with. One whanau has started having her son come for overnight stays
when she had not seen him in years.
•
Housed whanau - The majority of whanau we support in houses are settled and doing wel . Where some whanau struggle with
addictions, we continue to support them and link them up with support agencies to help them move forward. This is not always
a linear process, so we continue to use our Te Powhiri Poutama to guide us on how best to support the whanau. Building our
networks with AOD and counsel ing services is helping whanau.
• Whanau however are challenged by change, holidays, long weekends, tangi, families, work, cost of living remain a constant
conversation of inability to financially meet the demands of living independently. Food banks are regularly visited or attending
the local Outreach for food is still part of the daily routine.
•
Whanau housed / graduated over past 6 months – We have housed 10 whanau during the past 6 months. Five went into WIT
managed properties, four into Kainga Ora properties and one into a private rental. Three whanau graduated from service.
•
Cultural Framework –Daily karakia takes place which promotes kaimahi wellbeing
. Housing First kaimahi took part in Matariki
celebrations putting down a hangi for the Housed whanau and Housing Services. This was an opportunity to develop cultural
competency of the kaimahi and to provide education to the whanau about the meaning of Matariki so they could learn more
about their culture. There was also a “High Tea” for wahine where they came together to korero over delicious kai to celebrate
Matariki.
• Housing First continues to use Te Powhiri Poutama model of engagement with our chronically homeless whanau. Outcomes are
now measured through the Hua Oranga Assessment Tool.
WHAT DOESN” T WORK:
• Our chronically homeless whanau referred to above that passed away s 9(2)(a)
, was not suitable for the motel
environment due to his active addiction and complex mental health difficulties. Due to the lack of housing, there was no suitable
option when he was evicted from the motels. Therefore, he ended up back on the streets and passed away from an illness
brought on by the cold weather which may have been prevented should he have had access to housing. s 9(2)(a)
IN-CONFIDENCE
• One of our elderly whanau that was moved from the s 9(2)(a)
to s 9(2)(a)
was evicted due to ongoing incidents
related to his alcohol addiction. The level of his alcohol consumption increased significantly following this move, which had a big
impact on his physical wel being. He was evicted on a weekend and there was nowhere for him to go. Housing First supported
him to a park in Napier at his request. It was wet and cold overnight and the next morning when we checked on him, he was
suffering from hypothermia and had to be hospitalized. This incident highlighted the lack of available services for vulnerable
homeless people that have no option but to sleep on the streets. It also highlighted the lack of appropriate health services which
means that Housing First kaimahi often bears the load of trying to meet the immediate physical needs of homeless whanau,
adding to their already heavy workload.
• One whanau died in December s 9(2)(a)
in the Napier City CBD during the early hours of the morning. He had lived
with significant mental health issues for many years, and we had been engaging with him regularly on the streets to try to get
him the support he needed so he was wel enough to engage with us around housing. He was housed by Housing First and lost
his accommodation due to incarceration for s 9(2)(a) . HF Kaimahi attended the tangi and has been supporting other homeless
whanau to come to terms with his passing by actively seeking support from Clinical teams, Victim support, Kaumatua support,
kai, and a safe place and people to interact with.
• Housing remains out of reach for most of the chronical y homeless. Even housing from Kainga Ora is only offered to us when it
is hard to fil due to high gang presence or drug houses in the immediate vicinity. Our whanau struggling with addictions are
forced to take homes in areas that would not be good for their road to recovery and place them at higher risk of falling back into
addiction. Even these properties don’t come up often as Kainga ora homes are now being prioritized for whanau in motels with
children. This has impacted on our HF whanau as even 1-bedroom properties are considered suitable for whanau with 1 small
child.
• Housing First relied on having access to a moving in grant as part of the HUD contingency fund for every HF client. This made the
moving-in process more straight forward and less stressful for the whanau. Now this money is no longer available, we rely on
NGOs such as Christian Love Link to access furniture and basic kitchen items and linen. There is often no stock available during
the one-week timeframe we must move in, which causes a delay in the start of the tenancy, a cost which is borne by WIT. It also
means that whanau do not have what they need to set up a home for several weeks. The workload increases significantly for the
kaimahi during this time, as they must tap into all their contacts and look for free resources online to find furniture, which
means they are less available to service the needs of the other whanau they support.
• Tenancy issues – During the last 6 months wh
s 9(2)(a
anau have lost their homes after the WIT tenancy team sought to evict them via
the Tenancy Tribunal. A lot of work took place prior to this to address the concerns around individual behavior's before it got to
IN-CONFIDENCE
this stage. However, despite our support and intervention, whanau exercised their rangatiratanga and made their own choices
which led to their eviction.
• The use of synthetic cannabis amongst the chronically homeless has increased to critical levels. This highly addictive and
accessible substance means the whanau are no longer able to engage with us to find housing or work towards being housing
ready. Te Whatu Ora lacks specialist teams with knowledge and resources to get the appropriate support to the people needing
it. The HF Kaupapa of putting wrap-around supports in place once the person has been housed is very difficult under these
circumstances. We would be setting them up to fail. A coordinated response from Te Whatu Ora and NGOs working with the
homeless are needed to reach them. WIT wil explore how best to do this over the coming 6 months.
• Access to emergency housing has become incredibly difficult following the recent government changes in funding and the new
MSD processes. We have seen an increase in homelessness over the past 6 months that can be directly attributed to this.
Similarly, changes in funding to Kainga ora and many redundancies for key roles have placed increased pressure on Kainga ora
staff, which has made the process of housing whanau slower.
Opportunities Identified
• Napier needs a homeless shelter and a homeless Hub. This winter the whanau living on the streets have struggled to manage
the cold weather. Several of them are elderly and there is a high risk of them passing away due to the cold. Currently the Napier
City Council is opposed to this. WIT has obtained funding to carry out a feasibility study to explore what is needed and how this
need could be met.
• Hastings City Council asked for support in reaching some of our most vulnerable homeless whanau in s 9(2)(a)
Hastings.
WIT attended a hui with other NGOs to discuss what this might look like. An idea was floated of creating a supported living
program for whanau struggling with mental health and chronic addictions for whom living independently was not feasible. They
would receive intensive support whilst living in a house together, with the aim being they could be successfully placed in their
own home once they had completed the program. There is an opportunity for a pilot project to take place. WIT wil continue to
pursue this over the next 6 months.
• Housing first is engaged in an Outreach, Napier Focus Hui fortnightly that is high level that has an immediate response to
Homelessness to provide early interventions, lessen punitive restrictions for reform, access to mental health services.
community connection and awareness.
IN-CONFIDENCE
• Addiction services are limited or non-existent for whanau pounamu who are active in their drug use. A rehab step up
programme, focussed programme, and step down would be resourceful for our community. WIT, Kuhu mai, and Mash Trust are
in discussions of how this may be worked in collaboration.
Direct support and facilitated
• Kaimahi support homeless whanau to develop individual goals plans with actions steps that are reviewed weekly. The overall
access provided to address
goal plan is reviewed every three months to ensure they are staying on track. The Hua Oranga Assessment tool help the whanau
people's identified needs
to consider which areas of their wel being they need to focus on and what support they might need to help them progress.
Successes (big and smal ) that
We appreciate that the measure of success and wel being is individual and what may seem insignificant to one is an incredible feat
show how far a
for someone else. We also appreciate hearing about the on-going journeys for clients reported in any previous quarters.
person/household has come
and the interventions or
The
w
s 9(2)(a) e highlighted in our last report continue to be housed. Daily supports are required to keep them on track. The biggest
activities linked to these.
chal enge to them staying housed is other homeless coercing them into allowing them to stay there. They continue to struggle with
addiction, but it is a credit to them and to the HF team that they remain housed after a year despite all these challenges. We have linked
them in with the Lighthouse service, which is a day service for people living with mental health difficulties. They have made positive
connections there and while they attend this service consistently, their wellbeing improves. Having realistic expectations of them and
working at their own pace is key to keeping them housed.
The elderly man who was hospitalised after spending one night sleeping in the rain has now been placed in a rest home and is doing well
there. His HF keyworker liaised with social workers at the hospital and with the rest home staff, to ensure a smooth transition.
We have worked alongside one wahine (KP) for several years trying to find suitable housing options for her. She is very vulnerable and
has a life-long history of trauma and addictions. KP was well known to services and was unable to sustain engagement with them due to
her addictions. KP was placed in all three of our covid motels and then went into a boarding arrangement. It became apparent that KP
did not have the life skil s needed to sustain a home, and that she would need supported housing. Her keyworker supported her to
engage with NASC and she met the criteria for their support. We just heard that she has been allocated a place at s 9(2)(a)
Residential Supported Living Accommodation, a WIT run supported living program where the aim is to teach independent living skil s so
people can eventual y move on to independence. What led to this successful outcome for KP was the fact housing First never gave up on
her, despite frequent relapses into drug-use and unhelpful relationships. She also benefitted from the supports of multiple services all
part of WIT services. Just a year ago, KP could be found almost daily in the CBD, passed out on the sidewalk with a pipe in hand,
trespassed from supermarkets, unhealthy in appearance. No-one that knew or could have imagined she would be at the point of being
able to engage with the NASC assessment process, never mind finding accommodation. This is a celebration for the team and all those
who supported KP along the way.
IN-CONFIDENCE
Another of our most chronically homeless whanau (RR) was housed in a Kainga Ora home in September. RR had been evicted
from several motels due to drug-use and visitors. He could often be found begging in town or passed out from using
synthetics. Living alone was always going to be a challenge as people took advantage of his kind nature. When he moved into
his new home, he moved a friend in with him. Whilst not ideal, as this was a 1-bedroom home, it was likely RR would do
better having the support, so we advocated for him to Kainga Ora, and they agreed for the friend to stay. So far, the tenancy
is going well, and RR is engaging with regular supports.
BH is doing well with many obstacles she has proved to overcome them in her time on her terms. BH maintains the care of
her baby now s 9(2)(a)
. BH is living in a WIT managed property that she is house
proud and settled. BH has still a journey to travel, shared with her sister KP mentioned above as they move into new
beginnings and strive for rangatiratanga for themselves and their whanau.
IN-CONFIDENCE
He Herenga Kura Housing First
He Herenga Kura is a proud kaupapa Maori organization that stands strong by our
organization values of Manaakitanga, Kotahitanga, Whanaungatanga, and
Rangatiratanga.
The drive to empower our whānau with al the support and knowledge to create new
pathways that leads to prosperity for our whānau, ignites our passion as an
organization to provide affordable, sustainable and generational opportunities for
permanent housing.
Our whānau deserve the opportunity to a warm, dry, safe home to raise the next
generation of tamariki, empowering them to break generational hardship and aspire
to strive for a brighter future.
What has your experience been?
In this quarter we currently have 197 whānau housed. We have 379 whānau
registered in our Housing First programm. There are14 whānau who are sitting on
our Housing First engaged.
We currently have 40 whānau listed on our Demand List. This list is made up of
whānau waiting to be housed from the Housing First Engaged list and whānau who
are requesting to be transferred.
During this quarter we have graduated 6 whānau in total graduating 44 whānau
since the service has been registered.
Of the 197 whānau currently housed, there are several whānau who require
transfers to different properties due to various chal enges. Substandard housing
quality for permanent housing, conflicts with neighbours or personal safety.
Working with our Poua Ki Raro Property and Tenancy team is an important
col aboration to ensure that the whānau demographic is met through preferred
property areas. Additional y, we partner with other housing providers to evaluate
whānau needs in cases where we are unable to source suitable properties. These
providers also maintain a connection with the social housing register. Kainga Ora,
Dwell Housing, Te Toi Mahana are invulnerable for us. We al work col ectively to
ensure that our whānau are moving into or towards housing solutions.
Tenancy Tribunal is a new charted territory for our organisation with the dual
support for both whānau and our Tenancy and Property team. This has captured
arears of improvement but also addresses the support that is needed for whānau.
Working col aboratively has strengthened our ability to mitigate issues.
What works and what should you do more of?
The Housing First team continues to create and work hard alongside whānau to
provide open pathways to understand and address areas of concern in their
tenancies and with external providers, such as Ministry of Social Development
(MSD), Oranga Tamariki (OT), Probation.
Our organizational values: Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Rangatiratanga, and
Kotahitanga are upheld and guide kaimahi best practise to support our whānau.
This year our Housing First team have focused on increasing face-to-face contact
with whānau, not just texting, phone cal s and email but face to face contact.
Ensuring to create scheduled time, developing routine for whānau with home visits
to create good relationships but to also address maintenance or concerns that are
pressing for whānau.
This increase of face-to-face visits has stabilised and built more trust for whānau in
their kaimahi. Maintenance issues are mitigated earlier, advocating in areas of MSD,
Oranga Tamariki and probation has established more confidence in whānau to have
situations address sooner and provide outcome that benefit both whānau and the
external provider.
We work hard to continue to develop ongoing strategies that support our whānau to
be more self-sufficient in their own situations.
What doesn’t work?
In this reporting quarter since the new government has rol ed out its 100-day plans,
our whānau have felt the brunt of the changes which have hit whānau in al areas of
their lives. Changes in their income, benefit entitlements and a stringent housing
criteria and obligations are felt by whānau and providers.
Whānau are now having to navigate the changes that the new government has
implemented which has created more unnecessary burdens and barriers. This has
increased the mental wellbeing of whānau and increased subsense abuse amongst
our whānau.
Specific issues that have been identified include
• MSD accommodation calculation does not support the whānau to gain
affordable suitable accommodation.
• MSD unwil ingness to support whānau with rental arrears – despite
documentation to evident the urgency of eviction pending.
• MSD declining rubbish skips/ furniture removers to support with pending
breach violation that would affect whānau tenancy.
• MSD internal processes creating unnecessary debt for whānau.
• Social supermarkets are limiting their support due to government cuts.
• Lack of mental health providers leave whānau more vulnerable to escalated
behaviours.
• Second-hand furniture provided lacks quality and durability.
• Limited availability of rental properties meeting Government standards.
• Difficulty connecting power/gas due to bad credit.
• Delays in social housing assessments resulting in extended wait times.
• Housing Assessments is not a clear indicator of the whānau demography –
relevant questions are not being asked.
• Elderly housing needs are not being met more efficiently, example single level
dwel ings that support with disability access.
These issues prevent whānau from having the opportunity to be housed or to keep their
tenancy but also being housed comfortably. If there were open solutions or pathways
to mitigate some of these barriers our whānau would thrive.
As a Housing First provider we have felt the pinch from a contractual position where we
only have a year contract. This does not ensure job security no permanent housing for
our whānau.
What improvements could you make or what opportunities have you identified?
• Opening the social housing register criteria for middle income households – this
demographic is now becoming our new homeless whānau. They do not fit the
social housing criteria but are couch surfing and living in their cars. This
demographic is two incomes household, fighting to secure housing in the private
market that is unsustainable but are also not eligible to receive any income
support from MSD or Inland Revenue Department (IRD).
• Opportunity to increase our current housing portfolio. This wil provide more
housing opportunities for our growing demand list for housing.
• Kaupapa Māori lens should be applied to provide more insight for understanding
the homelessness issues that our whānau face.
• Implementing more accountability to landlords/agents in providing/ addressing
property concerns that affect whānau wel -being.
The support and assistance provided to address individuals' identified needs
include:
• Moemoeā – (Aspirations/ Dreams) support to reignite whānau on their personal
journey to follow their goals. Working alongside whānau to create and achieve a
realistic pathway.
• Ensure to develop consistent engagement between kaimahi and whānau which
creates trust from whānau which provide positive outcomes.
• Educating whānau with information that is relevant to their situation. This would
enable whānau the confidence to address situations on their own.
• Educating whānau how to maintain and sustain their tenancy by imparting life
skil s such as property cleanliness, how to prepare for property inspections.
• Empowering whānau with the knowledge and confidence to engage effectively
with government services, including OT, Probation, Ministry of Justice, MSD.
• Supporting whānau to navigate career opportunities in arears of employment or
education pathways.
Covid 19 Response
Kaimahi has stil been affected by COVID. This is not commonly shared by our whānau
since the government has not made it compulsory to isolate any more.
Successes (big and small) that show how far a person/household has come and Housing First
interventions or activities linked to these:
HOUSING FIRST NARRATIVE October 2024
Whānau make up - s 9(2)(a)
Whānau enrolled into our service in 2022. Whānau was seeking social service support
due to his drug and alcohol abuse. Whānau s 9(2)(a)
were in transitional housing with another service provider. Whānau
struggled with the transition to New Zealand as his s 9(2)(a)
. Whānau struggled with his drug and alcohol addiction, which is an ongoing
battle for him to stay clean.
He Herenga Kura supported this whānau into permanent housing. Intense wrap around
support was provided by way of:
• Kaimahi supported whānau into a drug and alcohol programme.
• Regular home visits to ensure that whānau continue to stay connected.
• Supported whānau during toxic transition from gang affiliation.
• Kaimahi is continuing to build whānau confidence to reconnect with whānau in
Australia via cal s and texts.
• Supporting whānau seeking employment opportunities.
• Supported whānau in furnishing his home.
Whānau is on his journey of reconnecting to his sobriety and focus on rebuilding his
relationship with his whānau s 9(2)(a)
and to eventual y find employment.
Whānau make up – s 9(2)(a)
Whānau enrolled into our service in 2023. Whānau was seeking housing support.
Whānau was living in a friend’s garage, which presented some chal enges due to the
overcrowding and health concerns for the children, particularly from the cold
conditions of the garage.
Whānau had immgrated s 9(2)(a)
seeking a new start. Whānau employment
opportunity had changed once arriving in New Zealand. Whānau reached out to their
s 9(2)(a)
community for support. The laugaue barrier created more diffculties for
whānau. The children often served as translaters for their parents.
He Herenga Kura supported whānau:
• Into permanent housing.
Whānau original y s 9(2)(a)
moved down to s 9(2)(a)
with her partner in search
of a new start. Whānau had been with her partner for two and a half years. She found
herself caught in a cycle of physical and mental abuse. Whānau could not escape the
cycle. Whānau was isolated and felt trapped by her situation.
He Herenga Kura supported whānau:
• Into emergency, transitional and then into permanent housing.
• With counselling and connection to Victim’s Support Services.
• To gain employment for a period, sustaining it proved to be chal enging due to ex-
partner’s mental hold over her.
• To relocate due to her ex-partner’s violent rage that left her battered and bruised
from head to toe. Her safety was compromised.
Kaimahi support has been vital for whānau as she is re-establishing herself to build her
confidence in her new environment. Whānau is taking it one day at a time.
He Herenga Kura Housing First
He Herenga Kura is a proud kaupapa Maori organization that stands strong by our
organization values of Manaakitanga, Kotahitanga, Whanaungatanga, and
Rangatiratanga.
The drive to empower our whānau with al the support and knowledge to create new
pathways that leads to prosperity for our whānau, ignites our passion as an
organization to provide affordable, sustainable and generational opportunities for
permanent housing.
Our whānau deserve the opportunity to a warm, dry, safe home to raise the next
generation of tamariki, empowering them to break generational hardship and aspire
to strive for a brighter future.
What has your experience been?
In the current quarter, we have successfully housed 193 whānau. A total of 392
whānau are registered in our Housing First program, with 13 whānau actively sitting
on our Housing First Engaged list.
Additional y, we have 39 whānau on our Demand List, which includes those awaiting
housing from the Housing First Engaged families list as well as those requesting
transfers.
Among the 193 whānau currently housed, some require transfers to different
properties due to chal enges such as inadequate housing quality, conflicts with
neighbours, or concerns related to personal safety.
The collaborative relationship with Poua Ki Raro is our most important relationship.
We work closely to ensure that we capture the housing needs of our whānau, while
understanding that there are limitations in some area’s due to rental cost and
opportunities to work with agents/landlords in these areas. Poua Ki Raro works hard
to meet our whānau needs. We also work with external providers to ensure there are
other housing options for our whānau.
On January 30, 2025, the government implemented a 90-day 'No Cause' notice,
which provided landlords with greater authority to terminate tenancies without
specified reasons. Since the introduction of this notice, there have been concerns
regarding an increased risk of tenancy loss for many whānau, complicating the
transition process for new tenancies. While the 90-day notice has presented certain
chal enges, we are col aborating closely with Poua Ki Raro to effectively address
these issues.
What works and what should you do more of?
Housing First kaimahi have continue to work collaboratively with whānau to build
positive relationships with government spaces that impact their lives. Whānau have
received good results based on the relationship improvements with government
spaces. The interaction has built whānau confidence to manage their situations
with more positive outcomes.
In this last quarter there has been sufficient changes to the housing environment
with many housing contracts under review and bigger housing providers reducing
their housing portfolio. The sector is vulnerable as we all await the renewal of
contracts. Despite these unsettling times the kaimahi work in a professional
manner focusing on the whānau. What is working well is the col aboration with all
external housing providers supporting each other. Ensuring that whānau continue to
have warm, clean affordable housing.
Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Rangatiratanga and Kotahitanga are our
organizational values with guides our service practise.
Kaimahi have been extremely busy this last quarter as whānau have not been
challenged with some of the changes that have been imposed by the government.
With some benefit being reduced, mental health resource support further being
reduced and housing options limited for our whānau.
What doesn’t work?
Kaimahi support continues to give whānau confidence that their situation is being
advocated for and being addressed at every level. Kaimahi ensuring to build secure
and confident relationships with whānau provides sense of security. Issues that are
becoming prominent are:
• Hoarding issues is a growing concern. Mental health plays a big part to
whānau ability to sustain their tenancy if they are fortunate to hold tenancy.
Factors vary from mental health to drug dependence to general behaviour.
MSD creates barriers.
• Concern that different MSD offices are providing inadequate services to both
our kaimahi and whānau. This has created an uncomfortable interaction with
these branches.
• Opportunities for more housing closer to hospitals for our elderly whānau who
don’t have a close network of extended whānau for support.
Whānau may encounter obstacles that impact their ability to achieving housing
opportunities. Many factors are in play for whānau from trauma, domestic violence,
mantal health, drug additions and homelessness. While these are some factors for
whānau, the support provided by our Housing First kaimahi increases the opportunity
to advocate for our whānau in these spaces.
What improvements could you make or what opportunities have you identified?
• As a service need to advocate more louder for our working poor whānau to be
eligible to be on the ‘Social Housing Register’.
• MSD to implement amendments to the whānau benefit in response to rent
increases to help reduce rental arrears.
• Opportunity to increase our current housing portfolio. This wil provide more
housing opportunities for our growing demand list for housing.
• Opportunity for the housing quartiles to be increased in more expensive arears
off housing to meet or to balance the private market. This would open housing
opportunity for our whānau.
• Connection with new mental health and addiction provider which have Māori
and pacific practitioners.
The support and assistance provided to address individuals' identified needs
include:
• Moemoeā – (Aspirations/ Dreams) support to reignite whānau on their personal
journey to fol ow their goals. Working alongside whānau to create and achieve a
realistic pathway. This is an ongoing growing space for whānau.
• Developing relationships that create employment opportunities for whānau –
working alongside MSD work brokers, local businesses.
overcrowding in the property. Garage was a roof over their head, but it was not warm or
dry and winters were especial y difficult s 9(2)(a)
.
s 9(2)(a)
He Herenga Kura supported whānau:
• Registering on the Social Housing Register
• Supported whānau into Emergency housing and then into permanent housing
• Fulfilling her Property and Tenancy obligations
• Access to budgeting service
• Advocacy with Ministry of Social Development (MSD)
Whānau has always perused her vision to purchase her own home. In February 2025
whānau has been approved for a pre-approved bank mortgage loan. Whānau has
worked hard for the opportunity have a permanent home of their own. We are all very
excited for the whānau. Wish whānau the very best in her search for her forever home.
Document Outline
