Sale of State and Council Houses Prompts Public Meeting

The Government's announcement that it will sell up to 20% of State housing and the comment by Wellington City Councillor Paul Eagle that the Council will look at "co-ownership of Council housing with the third sector" has prompted MANA Newtown is to call a public meeting on the sale of State and Council housing.

MANA Newtown Chairperson Ariana Paretutanganui-Tamati says that there is a desperate need for affordable housing and a dire lack of housing to meet this demand. Selling State homes will only exacerbate this problem and increase rents forcing even more people to be homeless and live in overcrowded substandard accommodation. We would like the Council to lobby for income-related rents for their properties rather than opt into co-ownership of Council housing with charities.

John Hutcheson is one person who would benefit from income-related rent. By the time he pays for rent and food he is unable to pay to heat his flat during the winter. And so would Jane Edwards from Miramar (not her real name). She, her husband and teenage daughters have been living with her mother. They have been on the waiting list for a state house for 10 years and can only afford to pay for a two bedroom unit.

Selling State houses will destabilise many more people and disrupt communities as it has in Glen Innes, Pomare and Maraenui in Napier.

Julie Vidal and her younger sister were raised by their father in a State house. She says that this meant that throughout their childhood, they had a secure home. All three of them still live in the same State house today. She is concerned that the National Government's proposed sell-off of State housing may mean they lose their home - whether it be that they are outright sent packing because the land is considered too valuable, or whether it be because the rise in rent forces them as a family to make the tough decision of whether to pay the rent or put food on the table. She says that her family, and many like hers, need State housing to continue to be a role of the state in order to ensure they can keep a roof over our heads.

"Nowhere did National state in their pre-election manifesto their intention to sell more state assets. These sales are all about privatising the gains and socialising the losses. This is also about opening up investment opportunities for the private sector and shifting the responsibility and risk of providing housing to the third sector without the resources and infrastructure. This disturbing trend of selling off State houses that we the tax payer funded to be built is theft and places the interests of profits of the private sector over the interests of public and people" says Ms Paretutanganui-Tamati.

The meeting will be a chance to hear from politicians and those involved with housing, for people to air their views and to plan action against the sale of public housing.

The meeting will be held at the Newtown Community and Cultural Centre, Corner of Rintoul and Colombo Streets, Newtown at 7pm Wednesday 26 November.

ENDS

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