Hon Chris Carter
Minister of Housing

7 August 2007 Media Statement

Key undermines own affordable housing policy

Housing Minister Chris Carter is questioning National Leader John Key’s new-found commitment to affordable housing given his strenuous opposition to a new housing development in his own electorate.

“It is hard to take John Key seriously when he says National is now committed to helping New Zealanders into their first homes. This is the very same MP who has led a campaign of opposition to the new community being built at the former Hobsonville airbase in his Helensville electorate.

“At Hobsonville, Housing New Zealand has set up a subsidiary company to redevelop the airbase into 3,000 home mixed community. Fifteen percent of the homes will be reserved for first-home buyers, fifteen percent will be reserved for social housing and the remaining seventy percent will be sold on the open market.

“Given John Key’s statements at the weekend you would have thought this was the very sort of housing development National was wanting to support. Yet Mr Key has consistently opposed the new community, describing it as a potential ‘ghetto’ and calling the whole project ‘economic vandalism’.

“Today in the House Mr Key showed no sign of backing away from these earlier comments.

“It’s time for Mr Key to put up or shut up. National has no credibility on the housing affordability issue while their own leader is doing his level best to stop exactly such a development in his own electorate,” Chris Carter said.

ENDS

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