Wellington social housing tenants, MP question rent increases
Wellington City Council is launching a $438 million renovation program to upgrade social housing units for earthquake safety and modern standards. While a subsidy fund is in place, some tenants face significant rent increases, sparking concerns about affordability.
Why it matters
It highlights the tension between necessary infrastructure upgrades for public safety and the immediate financial burden placed on vulnerable low-income populations.
About 1000 social housing households in the capital are facing rent increases as Wellington City Council undertakes a massive renovation programme across the city.
Te Toi Mahana - which managed the council's social housing stock - said a rental subsidy scheme would shield tenants from some of these increases over five years.
But some tenants and a local MP questioned why they were facing the increases in the first place - when others weren't.
Debbie Port lived in the Berkely Dallard apartments in Mount Cook.
The ninth and tenth floors, which housed 42 units, were quake prone - and had been assessed at below 34 percent of the New Building Standard.
"The place here where I currently live, work needs to be re-done at the top of the building. Whether we all, or most of us, get to stay here, I don't know, so we will be affected by this."
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