Corporate document

History of Social Housing Transfers – April 2010 to December 2017

April 2010 – Housing Shareholders Advisory Group (HSAG) recommends larger role for community housing providers, including ownership of more houses

December 2010 – Cabinet broadly endorses the HSAG report, and agrees to “greater involvement of third party providers of social housing”

9 December 2013 – Community Housing Regulatory Authority established within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

14 April 2014 – Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Act 2013 comes into force:

  • registered Community Housing Providers become eligible for Income-Related Rent Subsidies
  • Ministry of Social Development takes over assessment of eligibility for social housing (previously done by Housing NZ)
  • Major makeover for social housing

May 2014 – Establishment Unit (precursor of Transactions Unit) set up in the Treasury

December 2014 – Cabinet decisions establish next phase of Social Housing Reform Programme (SHRP), including social housing transfers to be led by the Treasury

28 January 2015 – Prime Ministers’s State of the Nation speech sets out the role of transfers in the SHRP

February-March 2015 – Ministers hold open forums on Social Housing Reform Programme (Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin)

30 April 2015 – Government announces decision to transfer of 2,800 Housing NZ houses and tenancies in Tāmaki

6 May 2015 – Tauranga and Invercargill announced as first areas for social housing transfers to non-government provider

17 June 2015 – Market information and feedback phase began for Tauranga and Invercargill and written feedback was due by 3 July 2015.

31 August 2015 – Information Memoranda launch market sounding in Tauranga and Invercargill

21 October 2015 – Government announces Tauranga and Invercargill transfers will proceed

20 November 2015 – Expressions of Interest phase launched for Tauranga and Invercargill

18 February 2016 – Transactions mandate legislation enables Ministers to complete social housing transfers

17 March 2016 – Shortlist announced for Tauranga and Invercargill Transfers

31 March 2016 – Tāmaki social housing transfer completed

27 May 2016 – Invercargill transfer put on hold; potential transfer in Horowhenua announced

12 August 2016 – Accessible Properties Ltd announced as preferred provider for Tauranga transfer

9 November 2016 – High Court hears judicial review application by State Housing Action Inc against the Tauranga transfer

22 November 2016 – Government announces that Horowhenua transfer not going ahead

24 November 2016 – Government announces potential transfer of up to 2,500 social houses in Christchurch

5 December 2016 – High Court rules in Crown’s favour in judicial review of the Tauranga transfer

15 December 2016 – Crown and Accessible Properties sign contracts for the Tauranga transfer

1 April 2017 – Tauranga transfer completed

10 April 2017 – Expressions of Interest sought for Christchurch transfer

20 June 2017 – Christchurch shortlist announced

20 December 2017 – Government stops the sale of state houses

Source: New Zealand Treasury, December 2017