About us
Chief Executive's Report
I am pleased to present the Annual Report for 2007/08 - a year that reflects a huge work effort from staff and management. This has been a challenging year, with housing affordability a significant issue, and families under increasing pressure from the impacts of the global economic credit crisis. New Zealand, while being well placed as a country, is still affected by these global trends. In this environment we need to respond proactively to people with housing needs.
2007/08 was my first full year as the Chief Executive of Housing New Zealand Corporation. My focus has been to build on the Corporation's capability to demonstrate excellence in its performance. It began with the recruitment of a new Executive Team and creating a new operating model to help us deliver on strategic priorities and provide a better service to customers.
The six business priorities and the performance measures we report against here are illustrative of the many initiatives under way to meet the growing housing need within New Zealand.
Priority one
Priority one reflects a commitment to long-term sustainable housing solutions through the Healthy Housing programme, modernisation and maintenance of existing homes, Community Renewal projects and the energy efficiency programme. An indication of the level of achievement under this priority is the fact that the Eastern Porirua Community Renewal programme is a finalist in the New Zealand Safety Awards for its annual street makeover programme.
Priority two
As at 30 June 2008, the Corporation managed 68,644 properties that serve as homes for over 200,000 people. During 2007/08, the Corporation assisted around 9,400 families into state housing. We reintroduced a tenant satisfaction survey to gauge our service and are pleased with the result. Our target was to achieve 70 percent satisfaction with our service; we achieved 71 percent. This is reported on Priority two.
Priority three
The Corporation's response to the issue of housing affordability is evidenced in the work under business priority three. We demonstrated how policy advice translates into action through the successful launch of the Shared Equity scheme. This product was developed in record time. Also achieved was the launch of Te Au Roa, the Ma-ori Strategic Plan, and the associated building of capability and resources in this area to enable us to deliver on our commitments in future years.
Priority four
Priority four illustrates how we work in partnership with local authorities, community providers and iwi to provide and finance social and affordable housing for New Zealanders. Our response to emergency housing needs in South Auckland and the development of a 90-day action plan, coupled with our longer-term national response to the issue, is a good example of how working collaboratively with other agencies can lead to more successful outcomes for those in need.
Priority five
An important achievement under priority five was the completion of a review of our financial governance. Responsibility for housing stock worth over $15 billion requires vigilant stewardship. The review of the Corporation's financial governance was carried out in conjunction with the Department of Building and Housing and the Treasury, and recommendations will be implemented in the coming year.
The recruitment and development of leadership has been a priority within the Corporation. A highly capable Executive Team is now in place, leading the changes required in the business.
Priority six
Priority six reflects the importance of the Corporation's role of policy advisor to the Government on housing. A major focus of the policy work programme in 2007/08 was housing affordability, and we worked in collaboration with other agencies to provide advice and a range of options to the Government. The Corporation also led the development of the business case for the Tamaki Transformation Programme, and work on land supply. We supported the development of the Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Bill, the Shared Equity scheme, the KiwiSaver home deposit subsidy, and housing on Maori freehold land.
Without a doubt it has been a busy year of challenges and achievements. I am pleased with the progress made towards my focus on performance and excellence in service delivery. I want to acknowledge the Corporation's staff and management for their contribution and support during a time of transition to our new direction. The dedication and commitment of the people who work for the Corporation continues to make a positive difference to the quality of life of many New Zealanders.
Dr Lesley McTurk
Chief Executive
