Housing NZ to look after people, not profits
new-zealand-labour-party
Sun Jul 10 2016 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Housing NZ to look after people, not profits
Sunday, 10 July 2016, 6:41 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Andrew Little
Leader of the Opposition
MEDIA STATEMENT
9 July 2016
Housing NZ to look after people, not profits
Labour will change Housing NZ from a corporation to a public service and use the dividends it formerly paid into the Crown coffers to maintain and build more state houses, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little says.
“Housing NZ should have one job - to house people in need. Instead, National has used Housing NZ to profit from the most vulnerable and turned it into a glorified property management company.
“The Government is using the corporation as a cash cow as it sells-off state houses. Since National came to office it has taken $664 million from Housing NZ in dividends and has only put in $141 million – meaning it has stripped $523 million out of the corporation.
“Being restored as a public service which isn’t required to pay dividends means Housing NZ will have more money to ensure existing state homes are warm and dry, and build new state houses.
“We have seen the tragic consequences of damp and mouldy houses. Never again should a state house be in such dire repair that it makes its tenants sick.
“National has reduced the number of state houses by more than 2500 since 2011. Labour will stop National’s state house sell-off and commit to substantially increase the number of state houses.
“These changes would also mean policy and housing assessment functions would once again be carried out by Housing NZ instead of by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Social Development.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
“Ensuring that Housing NZ focuses on people, not profits, is an essential part in addressing the housing crisis.
“With thousands of needy families on the waiting list for a state house – and the homeless waiting an average of more than five months for housing – there has never been a more important time to make these changes,” Andrew Little says.
Housing_NZ_factsheet_9Jul16.pdf
Andrew_Little_speech_to_NZLP_Special_Conf_9Jul16_FINAL.pdf
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.