An emergency housing charity in the Far North says whanau are being forced to stay up to a year because there's nowhere for them to go.
The social housing waitlist is ballooning in the region, climbing by 74 percent in the last year to over 800 people.
Only 54 new whare/social houses were built over the same period.
Te Tai Tokerau Community Housing Trust manages short term transitional homes across Whangarei.
Its kaiarahi, Ange Tepania, told RNZ reporter Meriana Johnsen the situation is getting worse.
