A shortage of rental accommodation in Masterton has forced a business to house its staff at a council-owned holiday park.

This was revealed at a Masterton District Council meeting last week when iwi representative Tiraumaera Te Tau asked about a report from the council which gave a brief update on the park of Mawley holiday.

The update said occupancy rates for the next two months “look positive, in part due to significant long-term booking.”

Te Tau asked if the booking was due to pressures on emergency housing in the district.

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Masterton District Council’s facilities and community activities manager, Corin Haines, said it related to a business working in Masterton during the winter.

“It’s not a homelessness issue, but it’s definitely an issue getting rental accommodation in Masterton right now – it’s really difficult.

“Businesses moving into our community struggle to find places to house their staff.”

Te Tau said if the council wanted to promote economic growth in the district, housing issues needed to be addressed, including rental and social housing. “This problem is not going away,” she said.

Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson has asked council to get up-to-date housing information from the Department of Social Development to assess the problem.

In March, 162 people were registered in the housing register of the Ministry of Social Development.

The register contains applicants not currently in social housing who have been assessed as eligible and ready to be matched with a suitable property.

A total of 159 people in Masterton are considered “Priority A”, meaning they have “a serious and persistent housing need that must be addressed immediately”.

This is the highest demand in the district over the five year period of available data.

By comparison, there were nine people on Masterton’s housing registry in June 2017.

There are currently 13 homes available for rent in Masterton on Realestate.co.nz at an average weekly rent of $490.

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