The
next Labour-led Government will legislate a Warrant of
Fitness based on tough minimum standards to clean out slum
boarding houses, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil
Twyford.
“It’s not acceptable for New Zealanders
in the 21st Century to be living in the kind of rat-infested
dumps that have been exposed in recent media reports.
“National has had nine years to fix these problems and
they’re still denying there’s a housing crisis.
“Too many of our most vulnerable people are being
exploited by slum boarding house operators, in dangerous and
unsanitary conditions.
“The country’s had enough
of Nick Smith’s tinkering and excuses.
“Labour
will legislate tough minimum standards and a licensing
regime that will weed out rogue operators. We’ll also
mandate local government’s enforcement role, to be funded
by the licensing system.
“Labour will take the
first crucial steps to fix the housing crisis. But, cleaning
up slum boarding houses is long overdue and will be an
immediate priority,” says Phil Twyford.
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else... More
Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More
Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More
Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More
Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More