7 May 2002

The current housing pressures in Auckland are the inevitable and entirely predictable result of the Government's housing policy, says National's Housing spokesman, Murray McCully.

"By targeting additional support only to those in state houses, the Housing Minister made two things inevitable: All low income New Zealanders would want to get into a state house. And no existing tenant would want to move out.

"Clearly, the only way to ever make Mr Gosche's policy work is to have a lot more state houses. The truth is that he has never had a plan to deliver sufficient houses.

"This year's HNZC Business Plan states that the company will:

Divest 283 houses (something they vowed they would not do) Build 353 houses Buy 123 houses Lease 535 houses (despite the fact that leasing was condemned as "privatisation by stealth" when it was introduced).

"As long as Mr Gosche insists that only those in state houses can access additional support, there will be pressure on state houses.

"The National Party believes that low income New Zealanders should receive support depending on their needs, not depending on whether the Government owns the house they live in.

"The fact that the New Zealand Government owns $6 billion worth of state houses and still can't solve the housing crisis in Auckland should tell Mr Gosche something," says Mr McCully.

Ends

© Scoop Media