Beyond 2025 Southland seeks feedback on housing

Beyond 2025 Southland has launched a community survey aimed getting a better understanding of the housing needs of those who call Southland Murihiku home.

The results will be used to help inform the development of a Housing Strategy and regional Spatial Plan, which will guide what sort of housing needs to be provided as Southland grows over the next 30 years.

The survey seeks to understand where and how people are living at present, what sort of housing they would like in the future, and the drivers for any change where and how they live. The feedback will be paired up with detailed analysis of the region’s current housing stock and future growth projections to give an in-depth understanding of the sort of housing that is needed across Southland Murihiku, to meet the changing needs of its communities.

Chair of Beyond 2025 Southland Housing Advisory Group, Stephen Parry sees the survey as a critical step to developing a coordinated approach to housing across the region.

‘Housing is a critical issue for our community and this survey offers a great opportunity to understand what the people who live and work in our region need in terms of where and how they live.”

‘On the face of it, Southland Murihiku is performing very well. Our GDP is above the national average, and we have the lowest rate of unemployment since 2013 at 2.6%. However, we’re facing challenges in the housing and accommodation space. Our employers are increasingly noting that housing shortages are causing constraints to employment, particularly with recruitment of young people. At the same time our rental accommodation waiting lists have increased over 15% in recent times.’

‘It’s important that we get a good understanding of what a wide cross section of the community is experiencing at present and what they would like to see in the future, as it will give us a good base to build on as we move forward with the Housing Strategy.’

The Housing Strategy will provide a clearer understanding of the current and future housing needs of the region based on factors such as population, demographic needs, business sector growth and workforce demand. The other side of the issue regarding supply will also be considered in terms of ensuring the current and future housing stock meets the demands of a changing population.

The survey will begin Monday 14 November and run until late December. Everyone is encouraged to complete the online survey which can be found here. Alternatively, people can leave feedback at any a range of council facilities, where hard copy forms will be available.

Once the information has been collected and analysed, the results will be shared with the community.