Andrew Little
Leader of the Opposition
MEDIA STATEMENT

31 May 2017

Paediatrician calls on Govt to support Healthy Homes Bill

Dr Innes Asher, a paediatrician at Auckland Hospital, has added to the calls for National to support my Healthy Homes Bill, saying it will reduce child respiratory hospitalisation, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little.

“Dr Asher told the select committee that, without my Healthy Homes Bill, there is little chance of the Government would meet its Better Public Service target of a 25% reduction in child respiratory hospitalisation.

“Instead, National has not put a cent of new funding for home insulation in the Budget. It seems cold homes and sick kids are part of the cost of their tax cuts.

“If we want healthier kids, we need healthy homes. We need to require rentals to be properly insulated and heated, dry and weathertight – that’s what my Bill does.

“Dr Asher told MPs that ‘it is obvious that the Government should support this Bill’. Why they don’t is beyond me. To build a better New Zealand, where our kids grow up healthy and our homes are fit to live in, we need proper standards for rentals.

“My Healthy Homes Bill will soon be back before Parliament for its second reading vote. There is no reason to oppose a law that will make our rentals fit for kids to live in and every reason to support it. I call on all parties to vote in favour of warm, dry homes and healthy kids,” says Andrew Little.

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