Glossary
Government agencies responsible for housing
Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was set up in 2018 as
an agency that can take an end-to-end leadership role for the housing and urban development system.
One of HUD’s key functions now includes the procurement of housing and programme-based support
services, including public and transitional housing, that were previously contracted by the Ministry of Social
Development (MSD). HUD is also responsible for leadership and strategic direction over public housing.
Public housing places are delivered by Kāinga Ora and Community Housing Providers (CHPs), with CHPs
also responsible for providing some support services.
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities (KO) is the Crown agency that provides public (state) housing
to people assessed as eligible based on their housing needs. It replaces the former Housing New Zealand
Corporation. KO also administers and provides some of the government’s home ownership-related
financial assistance, such as First Home Grants.
Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora – Ministry of Social Development (MSD) continues to assess housing
support needs, refers people to transitional housing, reviews eligibility for public housing, manages the
Public Housing Register (the housing register), calculates Income Related Rent, administers Emergency
Housing Special Needs Grants (emergency housing grants), and provides financial assistance for
households in the private rental market and homeowners (e.g. the Accommodation Supplement). MSD
provides case management of individuals, including people receiving a main social security benefit and
people receiving an emergency housing grant.
The housing system continuum
Although this report focuses on this front-line system, it is helpful to understand the broader
context in which emergency housing sits. The housing system in Aotearoa New Zealand is complex
and interconnected. Issues arising in one area of the system, such as unaffordability in the private
rental market or lack of supply in public housing, are often key factors driving people’s experience of
homelessness or unmet housing need.
A common model for the housing system is a spectrum or continuum:
Emergency housing system
Emergency
Transitional
Public
Subsidised
Assisted
accommoda-
housing
housing
rental
ownership
Private rental
Private
ownership
tion
Increasing support
64
Human Rights Commission
Decreasing