Rotorua emergency housing facilities set to be closed.
The New Zealand government has announced plans to close the Apollo Hotel as a Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) facility in Rotorua, according to Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. This move comes after a significant reduction in households relying on CEH in the city.
The closure follows a 30 per cent drop in households using emergency housing since the National Government came into power. Minister Potaka aims to exit another CEH motel in the Whakarewarewa area by March 2025, with all CEH facilities set to close within the next 12 months. The decision is part of an ongoing plan to eliminate emergency housing motels across Rotorua and nationwide.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has already announced that it will not renew consents for six original motels and stop using one COVID-19 motel, bringing the total number of exited facilities to nine by early 2025. This reduction is considered a significant step towards correcting the issues associated with emergency housing under the previous government.
The Rotorua community can expect ongoing progress in addressing this complex issue, according to Minister Potaka. As of October 2024, there were 135 households relying on CEH facilities, with some already transitioning to social housing or private rentals.