Fewer than 1000 families living in emergency accommodation

There are now fewer than 1000 households living in emergency housing - a 68 percent drop since December, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.

At the end of last year there were 3141 households in emergency housing, and that plummeted to 993 by the end of October.

Spending on emergency housing had also reduced from $31.6 million in October last year to $10.7m in October this year.

"National campaigned on a promise to deliver real change for people stuck in emergency housing and we are delivering on that promise," Potaka said.

The progress was down to the introduction of a new 'Priority One' fast track policy in April that saw households with children move to the top of the social housing waitlist, he said.

"Since then, 786 households including 1608 tamariki who were in emergency housing have been placed in social housing through the Priority One pathway."

The government also made changes in August that made emergency housing harder to get into, and harder to stay in.

People must now prove they meet the criteria for the housing, and meet certain obligations while they are living there.

Labour's housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty argued that was the reason for the drop in emergency housing numbers.

"The need hasn't reduced, but applications have," he said.

"People don't tend to apply if they know they won't qualify under the new rules."

The rate of applications being declined had also spiked.

Between 2019 and the end of last year, the percentage declined in a month had never been higher than 3.8 percent - but it leapt to 10 percent in August.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.