ŌCHT (Trust Variation) Bill

Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust rapidly became the South Island's leading non-government affordable housing provider after it was established by the Christchurch City Council in 2016. We're a non-profit, dedicated to ensuring safe, quality, affordable homes for people in need. We manage more than 2400 homes, supporting nearly 2800 Christchurch people, and we've built a model of excellence that's now ready to help more communities across the region.

We’re also a developer that’s built more than 360 homes across Christchurch and a landlord delivering these housing products:

• Community housing. ŌCHT is contracted to the government to offer homes to people waiting for a home on the Public Housing Register.

• Affordable rentals: ŌCHT’s affordable rentals are offered at 79% of the average market rate for comparable properties.

• Progressive Home Ownership:  ŌCHT’s leasehold purchase programme gets working families into affordable homes. It is supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Progressive Home Ownership Fund.

We were established to manage and enhance Christchurch's social housing portfolio for the benefit of Christchurch people with social housing need. That mission is baked into our Trust deed and is the foundation upon which any future growth is built.

ŌCHT has housed and supported thousands of people and has invested millions in our communities.

We have:

• Built more than 360 new affordable (and many award-winning) homes since 2019, an investment of tens of millions of dollars that’s increased the overall housing supply and more than replaced community housing capacity lost to the Canterbury earthquakes.

• Returned over $136 million in lease payments and $29 million in additional rent to the Christchurch City Council, growing the Council’s housing fund.

• On behalf of Council, we’ve invested more than $55 million in upgrading the quality and condition of Council-owned housing stock, improving the lives of our tenants.

• Consistently achieved high tenant satisfaction rates, contributing to the well-being of our communities and reinforcing Christchurch's reputation for quality social housing.

• Developed an approach to community and affordable that’ll last well into the future:

  • We’ve pioneered innovative and integrated models for tenancy, property management, and maintenance, taking a holistic approach that fosters long-term tenant stability and property quality.

  • We’re the first Community Housing Provider in New Zealand to achieve integrated ISO accreditations for Quality, Health and Safety, and Environmental Management.

  • We’re a Toitū Net Carbon Zero organisation - we want to minimise our impact on our place as we maximise our positive impacts on our community.

This Bill is a straightforward legal change to our founding document, the Trust Deed, to remove an outdated geographical restriction. It will let us operate beyond Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, so we can share our proven expertise in community affordable housing with other communities facing severe housing shortages.

We reckon it’s a simple change that’ll empower a highly effective, independent CHP, leverage existing capacity, and prioritise efficient, place-based solutions.

It's also about doing more with what we have: it’ll ensure public investment delivers maximum impact through a proven partner.

This is ŌCHT's strategic response to the pressing housing challenges faced by many neighbouring communities. Regional leaders and have asked us to apply our proven expertise to their communities, and we want to help.

The Greater Christchurch Partnership (of local authorities, mana whenua, government agencies) asked us to take our model outside Christchurch. Their Joint Housing Action Plan (Dec 2023), adopted by all partners, recommended expanding ŌCHT's model. Our key partner, the Christchurch City Council resolved in December 2024 to allow the necessary changes. So this is a widely supported regional initiative and a challenge we’re ready to take.

We know we’ll benefit all our communities if we grow. By expanding, we create vital economies of scale and strengthen ŌCHT financially. This means we'll not only help more communities, but also deliver even greater, lasting benefits and security at home in Christchurch.

Afraid not. Our Trust Deed was drafted with very specific restrictive clauses preventing us from altering our geographical scope through standard legal processes. We’ve done a lot of legal work and a Private Bill is the only legal way to make this change.

No way! Christchurch is and will always be ŌCHT's operational heartland; the vast majority of our housing portfolio and tenants will remain here, and our commitment to the people of Christchurch in social housing need – our Trust's primary beneficiary – remains our absolute priority. This foundational commitment will not be diluted.

This is about making ŌCHT more effective for everyone. Greater scale means lower operating costs across all communities, boosting our ability to reinvest in our core mission while benefitting all our communities. A resilient ŌCHT guarantees quality affordable housing in Christchurch for generations, while extending critical help across the South Island.

We are a mature, financially strong organisation, strategically primed for this growth. We will not rush into expansion. Any growth will be strategic, measured, and carefully managed. We will go where there is clear need and where it aligns with ŌCHT's capacity and financial sustainability.

This is about applying a proven solution to a national challenge. We’ll be able to apply our successful, Christchurch-developed model for affordable and community housing to wherever it's needed across Te Waipounamu.

We've been sought out by local councils, community organisations, and government agencies because we offer a ready-made, low-risk, and cost-effective answer to their urgent housing challenges.

We’ve the capacity, partnerships and experience to deliver high-quality, affordable homes, whether through new builds or upgrading existing stock. Great housing directly translates into stronger, more stable communities, fostering improved health, education, employment, and social outcomes - we know we’ll help build communities.

Our integrated management systems for properties and tenancies ensure reliable maintenance and efficient operations. We’ll bring national-level excellence, but remain committed to a genuinely localised approach, working directly with local councils, mana whenua, and community groups to tailor solutions that fit community needs.

We also know affordable housing is a catalyst for local development. It helps retain essential workers, supports local businesses, boosts workforce participation, and enables sustainable population growth, directly invigorating regional economies. Community and affordable housing can provide a stable foundation.

Leveraging ŌCHT's existing infrastructure, expertise, and robust financial strength ensures every dollar invested in housing delivers maximum impact, quickly and efficiently. We're a tried-and-true model for getting "bang for buck" from housing investment.

This expansion isn't just about growth for ŌCHT and helping other communities meet their housing challenges; it's about strengthening Christchurch's housing future for generations to come.

When ŌCHT grows strategically, we achieve greater economies of scale. This means our overall operating costs are reduced across our entire portfolio. With a larger, more efficient operation, every dollar we spend goes further. This financial prudence translates directly into more resources available for reinvestment in Christchurch. This includes funds for essential upgrades and maintenance of existing homes, as well as capital for developing more new, quality, affordable homes in our city.

Ultimately, a stronger, more resilient ŌCHT means better services and increased security for Christchurch residents in social housing, even-as ŌCHT delivers affordable housing solutions elsewhere. It ensures the robust model of affordable housing developed here continues to thrive and deliver for the people of our city, solidifying its place as a cornerstone of our community for the long term.

And we can do this while helping other communities with unmet need tackle their pressing affordable housing issues, with a sector-leading model developed in Christchurch.

We have robust management systems to mitigate the risks that come with expansion. Our proven track record in Christchurch provides a strong foundation for managing growth effectively.

After all, ŌCHT is not a start-up. We are a mature, financially robust, and ISO-accredited organisation with a nine-year track record of excellence.

We operate under stringent oversight from the Office of the Attorney-General, the Charities Commission, and the Community Housing Regulatory Authority. We also report to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Christchurch City Council, our key partner.

We are committed to open communication, clear reporting, and to working collaboratively with local authorities to develop sustainable, place-based solutions. We understand the importance of being responsive to the needs and expectations of individual communities.

We’ll strive to build a long-term, sustainable presence wherever we work to address ongoing affordable housing needs. We reckon better affordable housing needs a lasting, well-managed commitment to community well-being and development.

Our plans are built on meticulous financial modelling and scalable business processes; we’ll take our high standards into every community we serve.