Housing Options That Work

The goal is simple and practical: make affordable, quality housing accessible for everyone in Hastings, without compromising our fertile land or future prosperity.

How we’ll make it happen…

Imagine a Hastings where your kids can afford their first home close to where they grew up. Imagine knowing there’s secure, affordable housing available when you retire. Imagine fewer families stuck in motels, and more safe, permanent homes.

Back in 2022, when asked what I’d do if I could wave a magic wand, my answer was simple: stop even one more child from growing up in a motel. That’s still my driver today. These aren’t just ideals -we’ve already started achieving them, together. But there’s more to do.

To keep tackling our housing challenges, the Council I lead will focus on four clear areas:

  • Smarter consenting: faster, fairer approvals

    Risk-based consenting:
    We’ll streamline approvals for low-risk and routine projects. Right now, even small building projects face delays. We'll simplify approvals for straightforward jobs - saving time and money.

    Consistent and predictable rules:
    Clear expectations, fewer surprises for homeowners and developers. You shouldn't face changing rules each time you build. Clear guidelines mean certainty, quicker builds, and lower costs.

  • Continued collaboration: Enabling others

    Housing isn’t something council can solve alone.

    We’ll continue partnering with iwi, central government, developers, and community groups to remove barriers, share resources, reduce cost, and get homes built faster.

    Housing happens faster and better when Council teams up with community and private partners - delivering affordable homes sooner.

  • Smart growth: Medium-density & infill housing

    Prioritising brownfield and infill development
    We’ll encourage revitalising old commercial sites and empty or oversized lots into quality homes - protecting our fertile growing soils and creating vibrant neighbourhoods.

    Encouraging medium-density housing (townhouses, duplexes, etc.) close to community hubs. Creating more affordable housing choices right in your neighbourhood - close to schools, parks, and shops.

  • Protecting our fertile soils, and our economy

    We'll keep growth focused within our city footprint - by building up, not out.

    Clearly prioritising development in urban areas rather than on our productive soils.

    By building smarter (using existing urban land) we’ll protect the agricultural land that fuels Hastings’ economy and feeds our families.

Real results:
What we’ve already achieved…

When I joined Council in 2017, Hastings was in a full-blown housing crisis. Over 2,000 people were living in motels, many of them children. Demand had risen by more than 600% in just five years.

Some said it was central government’s problem. But I was proud to be part of a council that took action, and as Chair of District Development, I helped monitor and support the plan roll out.

Together, we:

  • Launched a national pilot housing plan, bringing iwi, developers, government and council together

  • Changed planning rules to enable inner-city living and medium-density housing

  • Updated our District Plan to allow seasonal worker accommodation on orchards, easing pressure on the rental market

  • Supported the delivery of hundreds of homes - from public and affordable to Maori-led papakainga

  • Kept growing housing options for seniors, with new units now under construction in Flaxmere

And we’ve seen results:

  • Emergency motel use has dropped more than 75%

  • 350+ new homes delivered or under way

  • Consenting processes reviewed and improved

There’s still work ahead. But we’ve proven what’s possible when we bring the right people together and just get on with the job.

That same drive, to make sure no child grows up in a motel, still guides my decisions today.

In 2021, we started changing Hastings’ housing story.
As Chair of District Development, Wendy outlined Hastings’ urgent housing challenges and early solutions. Watch this short video from 2021 to understand where we've come from.

As your councillor, I’ve personally invested in solving housing issues by:

  • Qualifying as a Resource Management Act Commissioner (with a chair endorsement) to deeply understand our district plan, consenting and cut unnecessary delays.

  • Leading as Chair of District Development (2019–2022), actively improving housing and economic outcomes.

This proven track record, grounded in real-world experience, means I’m ready to continue tackling Hastings’ housing challenges head-on.

There’s still work to do, but together, we’re building a Hastings that works for everyone…