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August 29, 2023
Housing plans vulnerable to political whims
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On August 29, 2023
Download AudioChild Poverty Action Group says a charge of Government could undo the work being done to tackle the housing crisis.
Spokesperson Alan Johnson says new research by analyst Greg Waite has revealed the stock of affordable private rentals dropped by about 5 percent over the past five years relative to population growth.
That means the work being done by Labour to build more state houses is critical.
“It”s taken a long time for Kainga Ora to get up to a capacity where it can actually build lots and lots of houses. It’s getting there. The real danger now is that the election changes the Governemnt and all of that hard mahi is undone by a Government that says ‘we will rely on mum and dad investors to provide affordable housing again,'” Mr Johnson says.
He says the state needs to build another 3500 to 5000 extra state houses a year for the next 20 years – and it also needs to change tax settings to encourage people to buy homes for themselves, rather than to rent out.
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