8670 (2026). Tamatha Paul to the Associate Minister of Housing

8670 (2026). Tamatha Paul to the Associate Minister of Housing: How many people on the Housing Register, if any, were living in cars at the time of their application to the Housing Register?

Hon Tama Potaka: I am advised by the Ministry of Social Development that, due to current reporting delays, data is only available up to November 2025. I refer the Member to the attached table, which provides the number of primary applicants on the Social Housing Register indicated as living in car as at month end from 1 August 2025 to 30 November 2025 by register type. I am further advised that Ministry data reflects how many primary applicants were recorded as living in a car based on the information as at the last point their application was updated. A client’s application is updated when additional information is voluntarily supplied by the client, or the Ministry contacts the client regarding their Public Housing application. Where applicants may tell the Ministry they are 'living in a car' in their initial application (which may have been lodged in prior years) but will continue to be counted as living in a car subsequently - e.g. because they have not provided updated information to the Ministry. The tracking of Public Housing Register applications over time is complex in that published data reflects the information held by the Ministry at a point in time, but less adequately demonstrates the flow of applications on / off the register and changes in circumstances over time. When someone seeks housing assistance, the Ministry will attempt to ensure they have a safe place to stay, this may include providing help with costs to rent or board, a referral to transitional housing options or, where no other options are available consider a grant of Emergency Housing. For example, if hypothetically, the Public Housing Register showed 100 people living in cars for June 2023, it does not necessarily mean 100 people are living in cars as at June 2023. Rather, that there are 100 applications 'live' on the register as at Jun23 that have either initially or subsequently said they are living in a car, noting some people will have not updated their current living status with MSD. If a client does not notify the Ministry of a change in circumstances, their last recorded status will continue to be reported, which leads to an element of accumulation