Darroch Ball MP

Spokesperson for Social Development
26 MAY 2016

Bennett Resettles Homeless In Jobless Towns

The Minister for Social Housing Paula Bennett wants to resettle Auckland’s homeless to jobless towns like Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Lower Hutt and Palmerston North, says New Zealand First.

“She’s throwing $5000 at them to move – to push them out of sight, out of mind so National won’t be under so much pressure,” says New Zealand First Spokesperson for Social Development Darroch Ball.

“She knows the media and other commentators are now Auckland based, they rarely go to regional towns.

“Her spur of the moment idea won’t work. She’s had eight years to come up with a sound solution, like building houses and cutting immigration to reduce the number of people settling in Auckland.

“All the towns the Minister mentions that have empty state houses also have had an increase in unemployment – the jobless rate is well above the country’s average. That’s only the official rate, there’s thousands of Kiwis on low income, part-time and casual work.

“Minister Bennett is throwing money at a problem to shift it to forgotten and neglected regional towns.

“It’s desperate, ignorant and insulting to struggling Kiwis who are facing homelessness,” says Mr Ball.

“This type of thinking is exactly the type of thinking that has created the homeless problem in the first place.”

Unemployment Rates:

• Huntly 6.6%

• Lower Hutt 6.3%

• Palmerston North 7.7% (second highest rate in the country)

• Ngaruawahia 6.2%

• Hamilton 6.2%

• Gisborne 8.4%

ENDS

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