Wharenoho Ahupori

Housing

It is a priority to develop quality housing to better meet the needs of current and future Southlanders and businesses.

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With 2.3% of New Zealand’s homes for 2.0% of the population, Murihiku Southland has some of the most affordable homes in the country.

House prices are about half the national average and rents one third cheaper.  While this makes home ownership more attainable for some, there is growing unaffordability for aspiring homeowners as growth in household income levels is not matching the rapidly rising house prices and rents.

Two key challenges for Southland relate to its very old housing stock and its mismatch in the types of homes to meet its current and future population needs. This means that there is a focus on building more homes that are smaller and warmer as well as supporting homeowners to retrofit their homes.

Research and consultation undertaken as part of the Beyond 2025 planning process included a housing stocktake of all 46,761 homes and a needs assessment which looked at current and future demand and associated sufficiency.

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Great South developed the Murihiku Southland Housing Action Plan in 2025 which aimed to consolidate the region's approach to addressing identified housing challenges.  This Action Plan was reviewed in 2026 and shows that 5 of the 13 projects have been successfully delivered including the following:

  • Housing Data Dashboard and regular housing reports available at DISH - Data Insights Southland Hub.
  • Development of the "Build Southland" digital portal which aims to be a one stop shop to help people navigate the region’s housing landscape, whether they’re buying, building, renovating, or investing.
  • Planning Review of local council's planning processes to ensure we are 'development ready'.
  • Ageing sector investigation to support an larger number of older people in our communities.
  • Case studies of innovative and diverse housing solutions.

Great South will continue to support our Councils to plan for current and future community and industry housing needs. This includes alignment of housing with spatial planning and infrastructure provision.