Phil
TWYFORD
Housing Spokesperson
12 March 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT

National In Disarray On Auckland Housing

The Government needs to sort out its conflicting agendas on Auckland’s housing crisis, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford.

“Housing Minister Nick Smith was caught on the back foot in Parliament today after Labour queried the mixed messages National has been sending.

“Nick Smith has already been accused of having a rush of blood to the head after launching a scathing attack on Auckland Council saying it was “killing the dreams of Aucklanders” , and threatening to legislate to override the Council to free up greenfields land for housing.

“This is in contradiction to Amy Adams who recently knocked back Auckland Council’s request to give its unitary plan legal effect later this year, rolling out a raft of housing affordability measures, including freeing up greenfields land six times the size of Nelson.

“In Parliament today Nick Smith failed to clarify why he is threatening to override Auckland Council and demolish the urban limits supposedly to free up more land for housing, while Amy Adams is preventing the Council from bringing in greenfields land until 2016.

“Mr Smith’s threat to legislate to get rid of Auckland’s Metropolitan Urban Limits is not only a nonsense, it actually allows for massive urban sprawl.

“His title may give the appearance he is doing something about Auckland’s housing affordability crisis. In reality he is just up to his old tricks: blaming councils, and tinkering with the RMA.

“The Government needs to get its act together. Waxing lyrical about ‘working with the Auckland Council’ is an insult to Aucklanders’ intelligence.

“The Government’s policy on housing is in disarray. Either Cabinet should reconsider its decision on Auckland’s unitary plan, allowing it to take effect later this year - as Mayor Len Brown has asked - or Nick Smith should retract his wild-eyed threats,” Phil Twyford said.

labour.org.nz

ENDS

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