January 24, 2013
Housing criticism draws blood
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Labour’s Māori spokesperson says the sacking of Housing Minister Phil Heatley in this week’s cabinet reshuffle shows opposition criticism of the Government’s performance in the portfolio is starting to bite.
Parekura Horomia says affordability has become a major issue, and Māori along with other low income New Zealanders are bearing the brunt of failed policies.
He says rather than using the resources of Housing New Zealand to tackle the issue, under Mr Heatley it became part of the problem.
"They are running out of land around a lot of these cities and what they are doing is taking the fringe of areas like Maraenui, Flaxmere and all these places, where there are a lot of state houses, trying to cash them up and turn them into saleable properties for those who can afford them," Mr Horomia says.
He says the government has deliberately run down the stock of state rental housing, meaning those who can’t afford to buy can be left homeless or at the mercy of the private rental market.
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