I’m a Dr, gimme a house!
Judith Collins demands Phil Twyford resign over KiwiBuild
Judith Collins has called for Phil Twyford to resign over his recent comments about KiwiBuild.
In an interview with Interest on Wednesday, the Housing Minister wouldn’t say for certain whether he still stood by the Government’s goal of building 100,000 affordable homes in 10 years.
“It’s like American nuclear ships in the 1980s – it’s a neither confirm nor deny situation,” he said.
When quizzed about the ambitious goal in Parliament that same day, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also shied away from committing to the 100,000 number.
What so many fail to remember about this bloody 100 000 affordable houses promise was that it was made by David Shearer at the exact time he was trying to fend off a challenge for Leadership by Cunliffe.
I have spoken to the person who was Shearer’s advisor on this, and they admitted that it was a stunt to blunt Cunliffe’s aspirations and that it was never costed out because who would complain if they only built 70 000?
Twyford inherited an un-costed political stunt, so let’s not be too harsh on him.
He has been trying to find a way to come to terms with this Shearer legacy, and that moment of truth is coming.
Using a free market solution to try and fix a problem caused by the free market was never going to work.
What we need is an actual Ministry of Works that bloody builds them. Until the Government get serious about state housing, affordable houses will continue to be snapped up the children of the middle classes and the poor, young and brown will continue to fall behind.
Pfft. At cost housing is a gift to the industry and of course they would say it’s not enough.
When the Labour Party runs policy that it knows are ‘stunts’, and fails to act responsibly, honestly and transparently, and does not bother doing any costings, it is NO better than National, thus not deserving my vote.
It does not matter who is PM, Minister or whatsoever they say, to get their head out of the noose, they are irresponsible liars in my view, and deserve no credit.
Perhaps Twyford should just allow the industry people like Jenny Shipley to bankrupt the property market so Twyford can steal all the workers. At least then he will look like a socialist by bailing out the workers, perhaps even reform the Ministry of Works while he’s at it. Then we could leave the wealthy managers holding the bag instead of the workers. Y’know? Perhaps.
You mean Twitfart?
finally something i can agree with from Braddbury
Bring back the Ministry of Works
Yes me too Martyn, “What we need is an actual Ministry of Works that bloody builds them.
True we should have the Ministry of Works again.
‘
I worked for the ‘MOW’ back when the ‘Tongariro Power scheme’ begun in the 1966 era and the ‘MOW’ was the best builder we ever had for roads rail and all manner of buildings.
Kiwibuild has provided an attack line for National is all, and delayed what really needs doing–which is a massive State House and Apartment build.
The Govt. should give NZ industry a few days to respond, then put in large orders for flat packed, pre fabricated houses sourced off shore. When they arrive, assemble and plonk them where needed on compulsorily purchased land if necessary.
Train the needed assemblers, and as many trades people as possible, repeat this process till the stuffing is knocked out of the housing crisis–and local parasitic developers and building supply monopolies.
Postscript:
In Whangarei where there are over 100 full time homeless on the streets, and 70 odd disabled in dire straits, some living in cars, the full sickness of NZ society is on display.
200 people turned out at a public meeting to try and stop 37 HNZ houses being built in Puriri Rd, Maunu suburb. The land is a Govt owned lot, purchased from MoE, good deal for the taxpayer. But the middle class residents do not want nasty state house tenants in their neighbourhood, driving down property values as they see it. What a sick society we have become, where after 30 years of neo liberalism a toxic individualist psychology has affected so many.
John Key came out of a State House ….as did Bob Jones ….both multi millionaires now
In the meantime some shameless politicians accept gifts from people like the Chinese….this must be banned!
Surely politicians should have the integrity that while New Zealanders are homeless ….they the politicians should not be accepting freebees !
…apart from good taste and professionalism these could be perceived as bribes and an introduction to corruption?
Are politicians not paid enough already?
….politicians should definitely take big pay cuts so that we know they have integrity and the interests of ordinary New Zealanders in mind….and are not part of an international self -serving club!
Housing for the Homeless New Zealanders first!….not freebee presents for politicians!
Good for RNZ Morning report:
‘Gig tickets, Cuban cigars among MPs’ declared gifts’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018694429/gig-tickets-cuban-cigars-among-mps-declared-gifts
“Tickets to sports matches and concerts, as well as clothing, jewellery, Cuban cigars, and signed photos of the royal family are among the gifts bestowed on MPs in the 12 months to January this year. The Register of Pecuniary interests shows everything they received that was worth more than $500. That included rugby and league tickets three government ministers and a Labour MP got from the Chinese telecom company Huawei. RNZ political reporter Yvette McCullough has the story.”
also :
‘KiwiBuild in danger of becoming worthless – mortgage advisor’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018694439/kiwibuild-in-danger-of-becoming-worthless-mortgage-advisor
“A senior mortgage advisor is warning that the government’s flagship Kiwibuild project is in danger of becoming worthless. There’s now more uncertainty about the programme after the Housing Minister and the Prime Minister wouldn’t confirm outright whether the target of building a 100,000 new homes in a decade still stands. Tom Furley reports.”
Agree 100% that this Government should re-establish the Ministry of Works. The private sector will never deliver on a significant Labour Government project, whether it’s houses, roads, hospitals, schools, etc.
A government believing in the transformative power of the State, will never achieve that, by relying on timid, vision-less, under funded private enterprise
+100 to Ministry of Works….and they should take back national roading as well…private companies do not serve the interests of the NZ tax payer….but their own interests
We have little choice.
National won’t do anything. They are still wedded blindly to the free-market-will-provide mantra.
Even during the Muldoon years, my husband and I were able to get into our first home. The interest rates WERE high, but that kept prices at an affordable level.
Now interest rates are low but wages are also low and house prices skyrocketing. Thank you Free Market? I think not.
How on earth will our children be able to afford their own homes without state intervention??????
Just speculating here, but I would almost guarantee the China FTA and CPTPP would preclude the establishment of a MoW.
The neolibs have got everything sewn up too tight now.
If anyone has a good knowledge of those agreements it would be great to know.
“I would almost guarantee the China FTA and CPTPP would preclude the establishment of a MoW”
Scary, if true
Is there any way to reduce house values without more homes being built (or cutting immigration – a mix of both would work best)? No
The only issue is affording the building and ownership.
There is only one alternative to Kiwi Build – which uses the same $2B over and over again – by building and selling the homes to private owners (those who can afford to own them, IMO they should extend buying to anyone upgrading from an apartment or flat to start a family or downgrading from a family home).
It is the government raising $2B a year and owning the homes built. This would require a 1% surcharge on existing mortgages (it would only increase rates back to where they have been before recent world interest and local OCR falls).
The rent from the new state houses would provide annual revenue for upgrades to existing housing stock.
At 10,000 homes a year from 2020, that would mean we could reach the desired level of double of our current number by the end of the governments third term. (we had 65,000 state houses when we had 3M people and higher home ownership than now – we will need 130,000/140,000 by the time the retirement bulge hits).
The present Labour party is in itself a ‘stunt’.
Given that Judith and her arsehole mates created the housing crisis in the first place and their own solution was never more than identifying a few empty fields that the market would miraculously build houses on (spoiler alert: it didn’t), I think that’s a bit fucking rich.
Like Labour’s light rail to Kumeu (or was it Waimauku with his congestion free plan??) and to the airport. Both un-costed stunts that have smacked egg all over Twyfords face.
I personally laughed at Greens Julie Ann Genter last election when she was selling “vote Green and we’ll build light rail from the airport to City by the next Americas Cup”.
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