Secure Home programme - Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust

Today on the Breakfast Show, we welcomed Emma from the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust to talk about their Secure Home programme — a unique initiative making it possible for more locals to have a place to truly call their own.

The Secure Home model is designed for people who might not be able to afford a home through the traditional property market. Under the programme, buyers purchase the house but lease the land from the Trust on a 100-year renewable lease, keeping the home permanently affordable for future generations.

During the interview, a listener texted in a question that’s on many people’s minds:

“If you don’t own the land, can you still build equity?”

Emma’s answer? Yes, you can. While you won’t profit from rising land values (which is the point — to keep the homes affordable), you can still build equity through paying off your mortgage, making improvements, and benefiting from any agreed value uplift of the home itself.

Emma says the goal of Secure Home is to create long-term stability for households while keeping housing costs predictable and sustainable. It’s about giving people the security of home ownership without the pressure of competing in a market that’s often out of reach.

Find out more about Secure Home

More info at 👉 www.qlcht.org.nz