Matt McCarten- "Rent is too damn high"

"The State will let working class people wait on housing lists for seven years. Occupy an empty house and they'll arrest you in seven minutes." said Unite union's Matt McCarten tonight, after learning that four state housing activists were arrested in Cannon's Creek at an election action.

The volunteers had occupied the abandoned house to draw attention to the plight of people suffering from inadequate housing in Porirua. They were cleaning and repairing the house for a couple, Carolyn Harvey and her partner Ron , who currently live in a garage when police stormed into the house without warning and arrested them.

"We'll be rallying at a barbeque outside the house in Calliope Crescent this Saturday from 12 till 2pm- and we're asking everyone in the Mana electorate who has problems with Housing New Zealand to come to the barbeque so we can write down and process their complaints."

"State houses are collapsing. Tenants have to pay for repairs themselves. And the rent is too damn high. It's clear these bureacrats have failed and its time for action" said Mr McCarten.

ENDS

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