All Rental properties to meet a warrant of fitness standard

The Māori Party announced their Housing Policy today saying they intend to make a warrant of fitness compulsory for all rental properties within three years.

“Everyone should be able to live in a warm, safe and dry home, no matter where they live in Aotearoa. It is just not acceptable to rent out homes that are cold, damp, unsafe or unclean. We want all landlords as well as the state to ensure their properties are up to a warrant of fitness standard – good enough for anyone to live in,” says Māori Party Te Taitokerau candidate Te Hira Paenga.

“We will also push for families to be able to capitalise on their family support allowance to use as a deposit for a home. We know how difficult it is for many whānau to save enough money for a deposit and we want to make home ownership achievable for more New Zealand families.”

“I am also pleased to be here today at Te Hapua alongside Associate Minister of Housing Tariana Turia and Dr Pita Sharples to take part in the launch of the first pilot for the Rural Regeneration Fund programme. This is a great opportunity for iwi and other collectives to manage a fund for small loans or grants to home owners for repairs to their substandard houses in rural areas.”

“He Korowai Trust in Kaitaia, who will manage this fund is an example of how a local Maori community trust can help address substandard housing in their rural area.”

“The Māori Party also intends increasing the number of low income homes to be insulated to around 46,000 by 2015/2016. Thousands of New Zealanders have already benefited from the Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes and the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smartprogrammes,” says Mr Paenga.

For more details on the Māori Party Housing Policy go to www.maoriparty.org/our-policies

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