Homeless wait while HNZ vacancy numbers rise

While 11,960 people are waiting on Housing New Zealand waiting lists, almost 1,200 HNZ properties lie vacant, says National’s Housing spokesman David Carter.

New HNZ figures show the number of vacant houses has risen by 30% in the past 10 months.

Mr Carter says what is more alarming is that by filling even 10% of those vacant properties HNZ would house those in the most desperate need.

114 families are waiting on HNZ’s most urgent Priority A waiting list.

“Many of these people face lengthy delays, in some cases four months, to get decent housing.

“Labour’s housing policy has been a complete disaster.

“Income-related rents lock a privileged few into state housing, keeping our most vulnerable out of the housing they desperately need.

“And now, HNZ is leaving more houses vacant while desperate people are forced to wait,” says Mr Carter.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>