Is Central Otago having a housing crisis?

What does it mean when we talk about a socio-economic crisis like the housing crisis in Central Otago? Imagine a situation where the way our economy works pushes people to live in not-so-great conditions like cars, crowded houses, or motels. Meanwhile, big companies seem to do well, and a certain kind of market thrives.

Over the years, the term "housing crisis" has become a familiar phrase in Central Otago. Nowadays, the shortage of rental housing is a big issue in Queenstown and Wanaka, and it's also affecting other towns in the area.

But what does it mean when we talk about a socio-economic crisis like the housing crisis in Central Otago? Imagine a situation where the way our economy works pushes people to live in not-so-great conditions like cars, crowded houses, or motels. Meanwhile, big companies seem to do well, and a certain kind of market thrives. Can we look at the housing problem in Central Otago from a political angle instead of just thinking it's bad luck? Do these crises end up helping big companies make more money? And where does the government fit into all of this? Does the legal system support regular people or the big businesses? What are the causes of the housing crisis in New Zealand?

When we look at a social problem, numbers and facts really help. But here's the thing: the official information from the New Zealand census doesn't come very often. The newest data we have about housing is from back in 2018. 

The lack of proper data makes it difficult to ascertain how many people are homelessness in the region and what actual numbers we can grip onto it when it comes to rent affordability issues in New Zealand. Besides the worries about the numbers of short-term accommodation, there is a concern regarding the number of houses built under luxury plans that indulge holiday homes, as well as the count of empty houses.

When talking to QLDC, we got two pieces of data: There are 1,700 registered Residential, Holiday Homes, and Homestays that provide Short-term Visitor Accommodation while the Queenstown Lakes Housing Trust has a waitlist of 980 households. Airbnb refuses to share its data but according to their website, there are more than 1000 listings in the area.

Besides that unreasonable waitlist for rentals, we have hundreds of stories and calls for help in Facebook Groups: Families, seasonal workers, and locals that find themselves with a job but no proper accommodation. The Queenstown Housing Initiative is the only place where stories are being collected and real data about Homelessness rates in Queenstown are being gathered.

It's really important to look at the situation from a social and political perspective. If we want to find solutions to the housing crisis in Central Otago; we need to understand better the neoliberal system we live in while running a political analysis of the role of the national government and the justice system, especially the Environment Court.