Applicants for emergency housing in New Zealand
By territorial authority (excluding confidentialised values), 2026 Q1, number of people
| Territorial authority | Number of people |
|---|---|
| Ashburton | None |
| Auckland | 300 |
| Buller | 6 |
| Carterton | None |
| Central Hawke's Bay | None |
| Christchurch | 153 |
| Dunedin | 15 |
| Far North | None |
| Gisborne | 18 |
| Gore | None |
| Grey | 24 |
| Hamilton | 231 |
| Hastings | 39 |
| Hauraki | None |
| Horowhenua | 6 |
| Hurunui | None |
| Invercargill | None |
| Kaikōura | None |
| Kāpiti Coast | 9 |
| Kawerau | 6 |
| Lower Hutt | 18 |
| Manawatū | None |
| Marlborough | 18 |
| Masterton | 12 |
| Matamata-Piako | 6 |
| Napier | 27 |
| Nelson | 12 |
| New Plymouth | 45 |
| Ōpōtiki | 9 |
| Ōtorohanga | None |
| Palmerston North | 9 |
| Porirua | 6 |
| Rangitīkei | None |
| Rotorua | 51 |
| Ruapehu | None |
| Selwyn | None |
| South Taranaki | None |
| South Waikato | None |
| South Wairarapa | None |
| Stratford | None |
| Tasman | None |
| Taupō | 18 |
| Tauranga | 36 |
| Thames-Coromandel | None |
| Timaru | None |
| Other/Unknown | 15 |
| Upper Hutt | None |
| Waikato | 12 |
| Waimakariri | None |
| Waipā | None |
| Wairoa | 9 |
| Waitaki | None |
| Waitomo | None |
| Wellington | 21 |
| Western Bay of Plenty | None |
| Westland | None |
| Whakatāne | 27 |
| Whanganui | 6 |
| Whangārei | 21 |
Definitions
Emergency Housing assistance payments are granted as Special Needs Grants (EH SNG).
Emergency housing is for people who have nowhere to stay in the next seven nights, and have no other adequate housing options. Most accommodation options are motels or hostels. For those who have been in emergency housing for more than seven nights, MSD requires a payment of 25% of the income towards accommodation costs.
Data calculation/treatment
MSD started applies a range of confidentiality procedures to public data releases, therefore some smaller values are not shown.
The total amount granted for an EH SNG may not be the same as the amount spent.
A client can have more than one grant in the time period.
One registered supplier may provide accommodation across multiple premises. These premises may be in different locations or operating trading names but are receiving payment through the single supplier record. MSD Region is based on the Work and Income region where the recommending case manager for the application was based at the time of the grant. This may differ to the clients residential address or the location of the EH supplier.
Data provided by
Ministry of Social Development
Dataset name
Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants: Territorial Authority March 2026
Webpage:
How to find the data
At URL provided, download 'Emergency Housing Grants - TLA - March 2026 (Excel 21.76KB)' file.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants: Territorial Authority March 2026
From the dataset Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants: Territorial Authority March 2026, this data was extracted:
- Sheet: EH by TLA
- Range:
B10:E69 - Provided: 240 data points
This data forms the table Housing - Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants by territorial authority 2026 Q1.
Dataset originally released on:
June 2026
About this dataset
The dataset provides a breakdown of households in emergency housing at the end of the quarter.