State Housing Action Network

24 November 2016

Media release:

Vigorous community campaign will oppose state house sales in Christchurch

The government’s intention to sell up to 2,500 state houses in Christchurch can expect to be met with a vigorous community campaign to stop the sales.

“It is appalling that in the middle of a housing crisis for low-income families here in Christchurch the government is proposing selling state houses.

“This policy is designed to continue the biggest privatisation of state assets ever undertaken in New Zealand – our $18 billion of state houses.”

It is deceitful for Minister of State Housing Bill English to claim that one in five Housing New Zealand properties in Christchurch are “under-utilised."

We have families living in sandhills, parks, cars and under bridges across the city.

There is a huge demand for state housing which the government is walking away from.

It is similarly deceitful for Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett to say the sale of state houses in Christchurch will “improve the quality of service to tenants”

“I have read the sale/purchase contract between IHC (through its subsidiary Accessible Housing) in Tauranga and the government and nowhere is there any requirement for better services for tenants.

Bennett’s statement is a public relations lie to a public deeply concerned about the housing crisis.

“In taking on the people of Christchurch the government will find it has taken on more than it can chew. Our community will reject this policy and we will campaign to defeat it.”

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