Phil Twyford
Housing spokesperson

10 July 2014

Consents fall well short of targets

Auckland Council’s chief economist has published data showing Auckland is on track to build only half the number of houses the Council says the city needs to keep up with demand, says Labour’s housing spokesperson Phil Twyford.

“The Council’s Auckland Plan says the city needs 13,000 a year just to keep up with demand, but residential building consents in the year to May were only 6,778.

“Not only has Housing Minister Nick Smith failed to build a single new house in the Special Housing Areas he announced a year ago, but his much-hyped consent figures are falling way below what is needed.

“Consents are running at only half the 13,000 needed, and two-thirds of the target of 9000 set for the first year of the Auckland Housing Accord.

“No wonder QV says the average house price is now $718,285, and prices have gone up 45% since December 2008.

“There is a crippling shortage of houses in Auckland, and the Government’s approach of tweaking the planning rules and hoping the market will fix itself is clearly not working.

“With consents running at only 6778 over the last 12 months, Nick Smith’s targets of 13,000 in year two and 17,000 in year three are looking like a fool’s errand under current Government policies.

“Labour will take a more hands-on approach to urban development in the city, and use Kiwibuild to deliver 10,000 affordable homes every year for ten years,” says Phil Twyford.

ENDS

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