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Manurewa MP Louisa Wall says a private members bill requiring warrants of fitness on rental housing wil hugely positive for whanau in South Auckland.
The bill, in the name of Labour leader Andrew Little, could be debated today.
It aims to ensure rented homes are inslutated, have good heat sources and are mould free.
It would give landlords five years to bring their houses up to scratch, or one year for new builds.
Ms Wall says in Counties Manukau alone 4000 children a year end up in hospital with respiratory illnesses, skin diseases and gastrointestinal complaints that can be traced back to poor quality housing.
"This piece of legislatioon has huge relevance to us in South Auckland not only to Maori but also to our Pasifika communities because we are the ones who don't own our own homes, we are renting, and we are talking about 250,000 whanau who are living in rental accommodation across Aotearoa," she says.
Ms Wall says National opposed the bill because it doesn't want to put any burden on landlords, but the costs of unhealthy homes are passed on the the health sector and the vulnerable communities.
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