A group of Hutt Valley residents are launching a housing petition aimed at the government, including local MPs – the Minister for Housing, Chris Bishop, and Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins. The group is kicking off their petition campaign at the Petone Rotary Fair on Saturday 21 February.

“We’re really concerned about the level of unmet need in the Hutt Valley for housing”, says Michelle Ducat of Public Housing Futures Hutt Valley. “Our petition asks the Minister for Housing, as well as the wider NZ Government and other political parties, to commit to providing public housing for everyone in the Hutt Valley who doesn’t have decent, appropriate, stable housing. We’re asking the Government to empower and resource Kainga
Ora to be able to do this”.

Ducat says there are hundreds of Hutt Valley whānau in severe housing need waiting for public housing, but there is not enough available for everyone, and this is not likely to change under current Government plans.

“At last count there were 684 families and households on the public housing waitlist for the Hutt Valley, and with the cost of living and the levels of unemployment we’re facing, the need is not likely to abate”, says Ducat. “Despite this, Kainga Ora homes in the Hutt are being sold off, there are not enough KO new builds in the pipeline, and no money has been earmarked for future builds.”

Ducat says that the undersupply of public housing means some Hutt Valley people are having to forgo food to pay rent, or live in overcrowded, unhealthy homes, or in garages, cars, or parks.

“We don’t think it’s right for members of our community to be left in those situations”, says Ducat. “It’s so fundamentally important for people to have a decent roof over their heads that it should be a top priority for our politicians to make sure that this happens by providing enough public housing – and leaving it to the private market won’t work.”

Ducat says that the Public Housing Futures Hutt Valley group will be reaching out to the Hutt community over the coming months to make them aware of the petition. “We know there is a lot of concern about poverty, housing deprivation and homelessness in our area and that people will appreciate the opportunity to make their voices heard – especially in an election year”, says Ducat. “We’re looking forward to getting our petition in front of people, gathering signatures, and delivering the petition to Bishop, Hipkins, and others at Parliament in July.”

People can find the petition online at
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/for-a-hutt-valley-where-everyone-has-a-home or by visiting the Public Housing Futures Hutt Valley group at their stall at the Petone Fair on Saturday 21 February – they will be on Jackson Street between Fitzherbert and Sydney
Streets (opposite The Hairy Barber at 107 Jackson St and Ellen G Home Crafts at 109 Jackson St).

A “thank you” to Michelle Ducat for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

14/02/26