Who are we building for?
The survey pegs have just gone in on the section next door  thatll be the third new home on the surrounding empty sections in the past few years. No doubt there will be more. Whats going up around us are predominantly beautiful, warm, well-appointed homes built by people who want somewhere lovely for themselves to live. Not palaces by any stretch of the imagination  just good, solid homes on good, solid sections for good, solid owners to live in. Its part of a building boom that politicians have been crowing about after the revelation that in the 12 months to the end of April, 42,848 new homes were consented  thats up 15.2 percent on the previous 12 months and at a construction value of $15.842 billion, up 16.3 percent on the previous 12 months. And issues such as the ridiculous costs of consents, a chronic shortage of building timber and a nationwide dearth of construction workers aside, this rush isnt looking likely to stall any time soon  especially not on Waiheke. The issue here, however, is not how were building, its what were building. All these owner-occupied homes are wonderful for those who live in them, but the pages of Gulf News are packed weekly full of stories about businesses losing workers who cant find rentals, about families moving off island because they cant find suitable (or affordable) accommodation, and  most appallingly  about people forced to live in sub-standard buildings. This winter  coming as it does amid an economic crisis brought on by the lingering pandemic and the border closure  will see the toughest conditions for some of those on the island in living memory. It will doubtless see the chasm between Waihekes haves and have-nots widen and become more visible. How Waiheke navigates this growing gulf in our community will reveal a great deal about our intentions to develop the island. A symptom of this chasm is the necessary work being carried out by volunteer groups and charities. Over recent weeks Gulf News has shone a light on the work done by community pantries and fridges to ensure food doesnt go to waste and the immense need for that free food from those whose weekly income is gobbled up by rents. This week on page 20 we detail the work done by housing charity Habitat for Humanity which  with the help of multiple island businesses and volunteers  are distributing 30 Winter Warmer Packs to keep whnau warm and dry this winter. What constitutes a warm, dry home isnt something many people reading this have to think about  not even when the filthy winter cold blows in as it has this week. But for those who do  and those who benefit from the Habitat for Humanity scheme  their experiences are as illuminating as they are heart-breaking. Martha Slimm, service coordinator at Waiheke Health Trust says the packs were piloted in Waiheke last year as part of our response to our whnau experiencing a cold winter indoors with Covid. And as she heralded this years follow-up plan to help another 30 whanau, Martha also gave us feedback from those who have and will benefit from the scheme. Last winter, feedback included a three-year-old who received a new blanket  it keeps me warm, as well as people saying, Now that we have a heater, we dont have to use the oven to heat the house any more. We knew it was dangerous but that was our only option at the time. And, I love that we got lots of new blankets as well, so we dont have to rely on the heater all of the time. I am usually worried about our power bill.  This year, Martha told us of another family who had said they were moving into a new house that was uninsulated and without a heater. We came to know about your service from Gulf News and were happy that someone is providing to the people who need it. We are feeling very happy to receive all necessary stuff which we require, especially for my baby. Thank you, it is very much appreciated.  Whats required to combat Waihekes rental crisis  and put an end to the substandard housing that makes Marthas work so vital  is some kind of build-to-rent scheme on the island. Doubtless this will annoy some who dont want the type of medium-to-high density housing that this usually requires, but the importance of retaining a diverse community, a homegrown workforce and healthy families surely outweighs that. The survey pegs are going to continue to get driven into our earth anyway  somehow we must work out a way to ensure that some of them herald building work that can benefit the full breadth of our population.  James Belfield