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Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says a warrant of fitness for rental housing is the only way to make the homes hundreds of thousands of low income New Zealanders live in healthier.
Ms Turei has a bill mandating warrants of fitness in the ballot, but the Government has in the past squelched such private members bills.
She says whenever the issue comes up the government listens to the howls of a small group of landlords rather than tenants and health professionals.
"People rent out houses because they are in business and the homes need to be safe for the people who rent them. A cold damp home is clearly unsafe. People actually do die as a result of living in homes that are cold and damp," she says.
Metiria Turei says as a landlord the government is one of the worst offenders because of the way National has run down maintenance on Housing New Zealand homes.
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