Annual Report 2009/10 - Housing New Zealand

Chief Executive’s overviewWe have met almost all of our performance targets for 2009/10,delivered greater value for money, enhanced operational performance,and sharpened our focus on our core business as part of our journeyof continuous improvement.Providing state housing and tenancy services is ourcore role. We are here to help house people in thegreatest need. For some time now, demand for ourservices has exceeded our ability to supply. Whilewe provide housing for 200,000 people, there areanother 4,637 applicants on the waiting list withhigh housing need. Meeting the demand for socialhousing is an ongoing challenge, as there are morepeople asking for state housing than we are ableto provide.To help deal with the high level of demand andprovide a better service for customers who walkthrough our door, the Corporation started theOptions and Advice Service. On a day-to-day basis,staff are in contact with our customers throughthis service, providing information about housingsolutions appropriate to their needs. By 30 June 2010,the Options and Advice Service was available fromall 43 neighbourhood units, with 14,799 customersalready benefiting from the service.The year was one of forward thinking, reviewing thechallenges facing the organisation over the longerterm and engaging with the Board, the Minister ofHousing, Cabinet Ministers, and other stakeholderson how these might be addressed.Our challenges include:• a growing demand for housing, particularlyfor people with high and complex needs• our current housing portfolio does not matchdemand growth and the changing needs ofour customers• we are unable to address the growth in demandalone; we need a collaborative joined-upapproach across government, social andcommercial housing• building our capability and improvingperformance if we are to meet demand• achieving our economic and social objectiveswithin a capital-constrained environment.In order to address these challenges, we have to thinkand operate differently, making new decisions fortoday’s and tomorrow’s needs.We started this journey of change by developingand improving our services and making a significantcontribution to the outcomes identified in the2009/10 Statement of Intent.• Outcome One: Where the Corporation has asignificant influence, people will have accessto decent, affordable housing.• Outcome Two: Where the Corporation has asignificant influence, people will live in safe,inclusive communities.Full details are set out in Parts Two and Three of thisAnnual Report.We developed the concept of a housing pathwayapproach. This approach allows the Corporation tobetter understand housing needs in New Zealandacross different market continua, moving fromemergency housing through to unassisted homeownership, with state housing an important partof the continuum. This approach maximises bothapplicant and tenant outcomes and the Corporation’sability to house those in greatest need. We alsoundertook significant work to better understandcustomer need and how we could tailor services tomeet current and future demand.This work supported a review of the Corporation’smedium-term strategic direction resulting in:• changing how we operate, strengthening ourcustomer focus, and providing housing for thosemost in need for the duration of their need• implementing new outcomes and associatedmedium-term operating performance indicatorsto provide a more balanced overview of ourperformance, as set out in the 2010–13 Statementof Intent.6housing new zealand corporation | annual report 2009/10