August 18, 2022
Falling Māori home ownership sign of Tiriti breach
The Human Rights Commission believe failure to fix the rental housing market is a Treaty of Waitangi issue.
The commission’s inquiry into housing has found rents have almost half of renters now spend 30 percent or more of their after-tax income on housing.
Inquiry manager Vee Blackwood says rents have risen significantly faster than income and inflation while home ownership has declined.
“Many more people are renting than used to rent and the decline in Maori home ownership is particularly concerning for us. That indicates a potential breach of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the crown’s partnership obligation there to ensure Maori are equitably able to access home ownership,” she says.
Vee Blackwood wants to see a rent freeze accompanied by an increase in the accommodation supplement and an investigation into ways to fix the system long-term.
She says housing needs to be seen as a human right rather than an investment class.