Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Rents driving hardship as Govt delays housing reform

Rents driving hardship as Govt delays housing reform

This week marks six months in office for the Ardern-Peters coalition government and its indecision on fundamental housing reform is hurting New Zealanders. The Salvation Army yesterday said rising rents are causing hardship for many New Zealand families.

"The Government was elected to fix the housing crisis because National did nothing effective to ensure more homes were built”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“So far, Cabinet has not even considered the idea of changing the rules that would allow the private sector to deliver more houses.

"It has been content to blame immigrants and prioritise a xenophobic foreign house buyer ban which will do nothing for affordability.

“Last year Phil Twyford said: 'if we want a lasting solution to [the housing] problem, we have to make reforms that will allow the market to deliver better outcomes on its own’ by reforming 'highly restrictive planning rules like the urban growth boundary.’ He was right, but six months on the Government needs to act.

“ACT would create seperate urban development legislation, prioritise land supply, reduce red tape on developers, and incentivise councils to consent more land for development and build more infrastructure by sharing a portion of GST levied on construction”, says Mr Seymour.
ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


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

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

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

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

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


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

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

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.