Judith Collins - Housing and Urban Development

20 November 2018

The Government’s ‘no eviction’ policy and soft stance on criminal and anti-social behaviour will see Housing New Zealand become an overflow for prisons, National’s Housing Spokesperson Judith Collins says.

“A number of people have approached my electorate office with concerns about gang members living in Housing New Zealand properties who are intimidating their neighbours while authorities stand by doing nothing.

“And it’s only going to get worse, with Housing Minister Phil Twyford and Housing New Zealand Chief Executive Andrew McKenzie confirming that bad social housing tenants will be allowed to stay in their properties and neighbours won’t be able to do anything about it.

“One particular constituent has approached my office for help after the gang members living in a Housing New Zealand property next door have been intimidating her family, brandishing weapons and eyeballing them on the street.

“The constituent, who is also a Housing New Zealand tenant, is so worried for her family’s safety that she has asked to be moved to another property. She fears that if the gang members are moved because of her complaint, they might come back to hurt her family.

“The Government’s soft-on-crime stance and ‘no eviction’ policy will mean more innocent, law-abiding people being forced to uproot their lives and move elsewhere.

“It’s not right that this family is being forced to move while their violent gang member neighbours continue living in taxpayer-funded housing with no consequences for their bad behaviour.

“A home should be a safe haven for families, not a place of intimidation and fear.”

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