May 22, 2024
Bill English housing plan recipe for failure
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Child Poverty Action Group co-convenor Alan Johnson predicts the housing crisis will get worse as the Government implements the recommendations of former prime minister Sir Bill English’s review of Kāinga Ora.
Sir Bill, whose Government sold off thousands of state houses and promoted the establishment of non-government community housing providers, said the state housing agency had racked up debt but little fiscal discipline or accountability.
Mr Johnson says the new plan to again align Kainga Ora with community housing providers will lead to social housing being devolved to what will be in effect state-captured organisations including iwi organisations, with fewer houses being built.
Just 3.4 percent of New Zealand’s housing is social housing compared to the OECD average of 7 percent.
If we are to address the consistent homelessness we see on the streets and in garages around our communities we actually have to lift state housing as a proportion of the housing stock. Our view is you have to at least be looking to build 5000 houses a year for the next 10 or 15 years. Only the state can do that. It’s foolish to believe a whole lot of community groups including iwi and hapu can get that scale,” Mr Johnson says.