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To: MP Dana Kirkpatrick and Minister for Housing Chris Bishop

Keep building state housing in the Eastern Bay of Plenty!

Eastern BOP says: Housing the People!! Build the planned state housing, end the housing waitlist!
We petition you to build enough state housing to end the waitlist in the Eastern Bay of Plenty!



Why is this important?

The Eastern Bay of Plenty should be a stable place to call home. Stability would support us to build connections with our neighbours, our local schools, churches, and sports clubs. It would keep our families and workers in the region, and bring in more people. It would create the conditions for us to be able to thrive in our communities. 

But successive governments have not done enough to make sure everyone in our community has decent, and stable housing. This has led to our people living in unaffordable or unsuitable private rentals, in their cars and on the streets. It has impacted the health and education outcomes of our people. It has forced our families away, and stopped people from moving here.

Now, the National-led Government has cancelled Kāinga Ora state housing builds in our region, and plans to sell off the houses that we already have, making housing even less available to our communities.

In Whakatāne: 

  • 234 households are on the housing waitlist as of September 2025 [1] 
  • A further 939 people are known to be experiencing severe housing deprivation. This means sleeping in cars, garages, or in overcrowded or unfit conditions. [2]
  • 72 Kāinga Ora state house builds, consented and ready to build, have been cancelled. [3]
  • As of the 31st of October 2025, 9 state housing properties are currently for sale in Whakatāne. [4]

In Ōpōtiki:

In Kawerau:

In Murupara:

  • State housing property is being sold. [4]

There are many more people experiencing housing insecurity who have not been captured in the numbers above. People are doing the best they can to house themselves and their loved ones, but without secure housing they are vulnerable.

We are calling on decision makers to ensure that everyone in the Eastern Bay has a decent and stable home. Commit to building enough state housing to end the waitlist, and to build the homes they have cancelled.

We want to see the local economy pumping: young people becoming independent, family moving back to the region, workers coming to stay, and our community thriving!

Build the houses. End the waitlist.

References:
  1. Housing Register - Ministry of Social Dveelopment https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/housing/housing-register.html#DownloadthelatestnumbersfortheHousingRegister2 
  2. Severe Housing Deprivation - Stats NZ https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/. (Use the data explorer to search for severe housing deprivation by territorial authority.)
  3. Kāinga Ora takes next step in financial reset: https://kaingaora.govt.nz/en_NZ/news/kainga-ora-takes-next-step-in-financial-reset/ (click on the Project Information Sheet and there is a link to a spreadsheet with all the Kāinga Ora projects which were assessed and are continuing or are cancelled)
  4. Property sales - Kāinga Ora (this web page is regularly updated with the houses and land packages being sold): https://kaingaora.govt.nz/en_NZ/social-housing-and-build-programme/selling-kainga-ora-properties/property-sales/ 





How it will be delivered

This petition will be delivered as part of a national campaign in support of state housing across the country.

Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Links

Updates

2026-03-14 19:08:43 +1300

100 signatures reached

2026-03-14 07:09:45 +1300

50 signatures reached

2026-03-10 07:41:54 +1300

25 signatures reached

2026-03-09 20:51:59 +1300

10 signatures reached