Govt plants misleading letter on rotting homes

Claims the Government has been kept in the dark over the rotting homes disaster are misleading and have no credibility, says National’s Housing Spokesperson Dr Wayne Mapp.

The Government is claiming with the release of a bundle of documents by the Building Industry Authority that it has not been informed about the rotting homes crisis.

“For George Hawkins to claim in a letter last Thursday to the BIA that the Government was kept in the dark is plain ridiculous. National put in the Official Information Act request in on September 20 - there is no way the Government did not know about this request.

“There has been endless media coverage, questions in Parliament and National’s public meetings bringing the attention of this disaster to the Minister.

“The 30 October letter of complaint from George Hawkins to the BIA was not included in the papers released to National. It is clear this letter was deliberately written late last week for release to the media with the BIA papers so that the Government could shift the blame for its inaction.

“Michael Cullen is blaming staff, the BIA and anyone else he can think of for the Government not acting when Labour MP Ann Hartley raised serious concerns about leaking and rotting homes more than two years ago.

“This letter was disingenuous and shows how dishonest this Government will be to deflect any blame,” said Dr Mapp.

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