In response to a reporter asking why the government had demolished more state houses than it built in the past six months the government blamed lockdowns and supply chain issues and the PM said:
“One of the main priorities of this government has been when we came into office and were facing a housing crisis where the last national government had continuously sold off our state housing was to rebuild our public housing stock and we have done that at an incredible rate”
It’s “incredible” – yes – but not in the way the PM tells it. The facts are:
- Despite four years of Labour-led governments, the number of state house rentals available has remained largely static (2016 – 67,041 rentals; 2021 – 67,858) while the state house waiting list has soared from 5,000 to 24,546 with half of that number being Māori whanau.
- The present government has continued the previous governments budget of funding additional social places at 1600 per year despite the fact the waiting list had exploded.
- The government is committed to keeping state housing at 3.6% of total housing stock rather than the 5.4% of total housing stock it was in 1990. The government has no plans to change this despite the massive housing crisis for low-income tenants and families.
- In his evidence to the Waitangi Tribunal in mid 2021 (Wai 2750) Kainga Ora CEO Andrew McKenzie says the organisation has an “ambitious programme” over the next four years which will provide a net increase of 8,200 state houses. Providing 2050 additional state houses each year for a waiting list of 24, 546 can only be described politely as gross political negligence.
- Andrew McKenzie confirmed that when the Labour led Government came to power in 2017 officials recommended that the previous Government’s public housing budget be increased so state house building would increase from 1600 to 2000 a year but, astonishingly, the Labour-led government said NO and is still sticking to National’s plan despite the explosion in the waiting list.
- The government’s long-term plan, according to Kainga Ora’s current Long-Term Plan, is to add 23,000 additional places over 30 years. These houses are needed NOW – not in 30 years time! Andrew McKenzie explained to the Waitangi Tribunal that the ability of Kainga Ora to further expand supply is limited by Kainga Ora having to fund additional housing out of its own resources and borrowings.
- This means it is only by selling land can Kainga Ora build even the modest number it is building now. Kainga Ora is therefore involved in large-scale privatisation of crown land for private sector housebuilding – on former state-house land – while the state house waiting list and the misery of families waiting for state housing increases.
- Social housing providers are NOT the answer. These are niche providers who can never deliver the scale of housebuilding needed to meet this crisis for those on low-incomes.
- We desperately need a stand-alone government agency which embarks on an industrial scale state house building programme which uses lower borrowing rates for the government, economies of scale, crown and local body land and fast-tracking planning, design and building.
- Taking this approach in the late 1930s the first Labour government was building 3,500 state houses per year; the equivalent number today would be 10,000 per year. The government has built – 5 (minus five) over the past six months.
- An industrial scale state house building programme would save billions through reducing the massive spending on motels (over $300 million per year) and in accommodation supplements (over $1.7 billion per year) These subsidies to private sector landlords are “dead money”.
The State House Building Coalition has begun a campaign to force the government to change its policy.
The second step of the campaign is the petition here.
Hmmm looks like Labours mantra of National: ‘9 years of neglect’ has transformed….so far, into ‘4 years of neglect’ from Labour Govt! Lol
Now about those other pesky numbers, that Labour dropped reporting in (funny that) of Child Poverty and a million a day in motel/hotel temporary accommodation, that Labour were calling 100grand a day costs under National Govt as a disgrace and a national shame!
no surprises there, hugh disappointment and increasing loathing of labour….but sadly no surprise
We Little Flies can loath who we like while licking our lips for more. We’re still little flies buzzing around the festering turd that’s neoliberal capitalism.
Why is it even necessary for a petition to be required for a Labour government to buld an appropriate number of state houses? Similar lack of progress during the Clark government due to the ‘winter of discontent’. They seem to be totally out of touch with the amount of need in this country. The fact that Key dismantled the state to the point where it no longer has the resources to provide the services required and came as a surprise is another area of concern. Could it be that a degree in politics followed by election from the list is not adequate preparation for the job?
What do they learn in that degree in politics? Sun Tazu or Machiavellian maneouvres? Sir Humphrey Appleby methods? Or discussion on the small but important tome Your Disobedient Servant, UK 1978 which invigorated that puppet Thatcher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYi2R0GaOgA
An account of Civil Service in Britain by Leslie Chapman served in the Ministry of Works from 1967 for more than thirty years. Google Books
Originally published: 1978
Author: Leslie Chapman
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10299926/Leslie-Chapman.html
Well God. They really are just as bad as the National party and no coalition with any left wing party is gonna make them act like an even a moderate govt.
Who cares if they win or lose. Nothing is going to change in NZ.
Anyone who is able should leave this unaffordable, duopolostic deregulated dumpster fire and never look back.
” Who cares if they win or lose. Nothing is going to change in NZ ”
Yeah I worked that out a while back and just watching the current government keep using the same broken tools to fix the problem is never , will never work.
The NZLP is a creature of the system which is market economics and it has captured all the parties in the current parliament.
Until a strong anti neo liberal alternative is contributing to the economic debate were long overdue for then all the current ” crises ” will continue unabated.
can’t disagree with any of that mosa
Jeez Wayne that just shows that anti-smacking Bill has led to a bad moral attitude even in our politicians, the purist of the pure. If we told porkies like that when I was young, we’d have got a smack on the bottom or when we get older have to write 500 times ‘I must be truthful’, or get demerit points or have some enjoyable outing stopped.
I suggest that Labour are too full of good polls and they’ve gone to their heads like strong spirit. A period in drying-out camp is needed. Withhold that heady political support! When questioned say – I refuse to answer on the grounds that it just encourages ’em – make them suffer and let them get used to the reality of feeling inadequate .
Industrial scale state house building will not happen because it will not be allowed to happen.
There would be so much aggro from the private sector and the “anti state being involved in anything” brigade.
If a majority government in its term could start such and have it locked in to the extent it would continue after it was ousted, fine.
Labour goes all 1930s, National/Act gets in and dumps it.
Timidity and self preservation rule.
spot on pete, though they ain’t anti-state when it comes to bailouts, only when state action stops them robbing the nation blind….that’s what ‘small state’ really means…’I get to loot with impunity’
Agree with all the above.
If it’s not a Labour government that will ‘Build More Houses’ that are badly needed, then who?
A. National – Nah!
B. ACT – A def Nah!
C. The Wharepaku Specialists – Arrrh Nah!
D. The Maori Party – Nah, too busy on tictok recruiting 12 years olds to vote!
Who else?
no one. I am waiting for the day that homeless people in NZ will do what homeless people the world over do, build slums all by themselves.
you need to do a road trip to the Far North Sabine been the reality up here for 40 years or more.
Our new Building Inspector signs many new builds up here off as Art Pieces or Sculptures. I kid you not. In the North no one gives a fuck about building regs.
i am talking bout the Domain in Auckland and the fancy cricket field in Wlgt. The suits in parliament would not understand anything else. We can call them Labour-Villes.
Ideas for chap homes
Ian Athfield working in the Philippines – early days. https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/architect-athfield-1977
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/latest/108825944/cheap-fourhour-bamboo-house-wins-prize 2018
https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/38660/slum-housing-reform
https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/housing-in-new-zealand-1946/quotes
Shona perhaps Hundertwasser’s designs in Whangarei have been widely inspiring. He liked to take things off-square.
Most definitely; his public dunnies in Kawakawa have inspired many of us do it yerselfers to go forth and mosaic everything we can. Ferro cement is an awesome easy to use material.Fuck Carter Holt Harvey and Fletchers and their awful unworkable Building Act.
My thoughts exactly.
We’re under siege by an army of psychopathic narcissists. Our democracy has become infected by neoliberal-capitalists. national/labour/act/greens/Maori… All the same fucking thing man.
Janis Joplin.
‘Ball and Chain’
https://youtu.be/1Z-nCePq80Q
….Because the matter of the fact, as we discovered tat’s rain, tomorrow never happens, man
It’s all the same fucking day, man.
Another porkie?
To paraphrase Solzhenitsyn,
“She lies,
She knows that she lies,
We know that she lies,
She knows that we know that she lies,
and yet she keeps lying anyway”
That is the tactic she employs.
Tell a lie often enough and people will believe it.
Live not by lies.
Also Solzhenitsyn. And those that hope that Labour fixes anything other then their own careers and wellbeing would do well to start living by that mantra. It makes everything a bit easier.
equally applicable to all pollies BOTH sides of the aisle
True, but probably more truer with our media. And they wonder why they’re going broke with the shit they spout.
Doesn’t matter, a new round of public interest journalism cheques are in the post.
I can never believe anyone when they say ‘I never tell a lie’.
I mean to me, that is an obvious and blatant or dumb ignorant lie.
Newshub Politics
@NewshubPolitics
Jacinda Ardern “I actually believe it is possible to survive in politics without lying” says she’s never told a lie in politics #decision17
8:33 PM · Sep 4, 2017·Twitter
Assuming these “facts” are accurate…
Jacinda wasn’t totally misleading: “… When we came into office and were facing a housing crisis where the last national government has continuously sold off our state housing…” is all true.
The rest, again assuming the facts quoted here are accurate, are unadulterated lies. A lie wrapped in the truth
But really, it’s indisputable that the housing crisis is now infinitely worse after 4 years of her government and worsening. So even without these facts it’s hard to argue state housing is not a mess.
And where oh where does she get off with industrial grade bullshit like that? It was so bare faced!
Current PM is like….PM JK ,” I won’t increase taxes” and then put up GST or PM Bill English…I haven’t really been involved/ can’t recall….oh apart from the 400 text messages we exchanged. They are all consummate bullshitters and unfortunately the public forgive them when it suits a tribal position of left or right ( even if they are actually remarkably similar in policy position )
New definitions of ‘transformational:
1. v. ‘To transform the words of some previous govt into the words of our own govt with actual really transforming anything. 2. n. The art of transforming perception in deception. 3. v. to do jack-shit.
I just can’t believe these con-artists get that much support??? There must be so many dumb voters out there to swallow all that crap. Or kiwis are so chilled, they actually don’t care. But they will when petrol hits $4 and mortgages cause even more homelessness….it’ll be Nationals fault of course. Can’t wait for they day we can say “the previous govt”.
Shocking failure. Chris Trotters piece on importing Chinese houses that can be constructed at speed was great. And why not take race courses in cities for land? Epsom,Pukekohe, Trentham, Riccartin. Revitalise race courses out of town eg Otaki. Help with small towns like that. Good for small towns to have something they are known for
The houses Chris mentioned are $10 or $15 thousand each. How much are we paying for motels we don’t own?
according to Tiny Dean in Rotorua not enough.
She introduced the healthy homes initiative and because the rich slumlords were not happy about it she allowed the RBNZ to pump up house prices so the rich could sell their uninhabitable slums for a massive profit to desperate FHB’ers. Jacinda cancelled the CGT so the rich are not affected and can keep all the free money she keeps shovelling at them. She has allowed rents to increase and keeps on giving tax payers money to top up the sickening rents so the rich get richer. She had a report commissioned which highlighted that NZ has enormous numbers of ghost homes and then she goes on TV and said that she doesn’t believe the numbers? This person in charge of us is a charlatan and any true Labour supporter would be horrified by her antics. Note: The NATs would be just as bad but that’s not a good thing.
Well explained Martyn. But thing is as usual, to paraphrase VI Lenin’s immortal question, “What is to be done?”
And really a state house and apartment mega build is second only in the political priority stakes to rolling back and retiring Rogernomics for good.
Gens X, Y and Z have to get their shit together and start organising.
For those with short memories, she pledged to end homelessness “within 4 weeks” upon winning the election.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/04/jacinda-ardern-pledges-shelter-for-all-homeless-people-within-four-weeks
How is that working out for you guys?
Yes, as I have said – once the official history of this Government recorded, and reviewed…future people will be surprised at their lack of anything achieved…
They don’t achieve and won’t because they’re academics and don’t know how.
Things have gone backwards.
How long are we going to put up with this Jacinda Ardern totally incompetent Government.
Sadly….until the next election Jeremy! I know, it’s a long haul of agony.
You mean until the equally useless mob come along? Simon as Minister of Finance. Give me a break. According to that muppet the RBNZ is solely responsible for the housing situation. That’s despite the fact that it was already considered a crisis in 2017. He also encouraged us to follow that totally dodgy wanker in the US, Manchin.
I dunno, they successfully trounced Judith Collins. Keeping her out of power is worth a lot of brownie points.
still afraid of a person with no power?
urgh politicians are such slimy weasels
Robertson is the weaseliest. Arrogant prick.
Keeping MOST of us alive is not a lack of achievement.
That’s silly.
Pa
Thank you thank you. I managed to keep myself alive very nicely. And so did you. Give yourself a pat on the back. Take your mask off for a minute and enjoy a cold beer.
Lots of moaning and groaning here!!! But then at the next poll she gets 50% support or more! Who give her all these votes….you guys? According to what I read here, she should be on, like 5% support.
You can easily tell on this site who votes for Labour.
I won’t mention anyone by name.
Let’s have “real identity Friday’s” or similar on TDB then.
It would be hilarious to uncover a few of the SIS and plod snouts, and Tories that slipped their collar from Kiwi Blog.
That mincing troll Farrar is greasier than the proverbial, which may explain why Slater was held to account and not him.
Because it’s full of RW nutbars!
Talk about porkies? I just listened to Sir Ian Taylor about those pinched RATs. This thing will blow up badly for Labour and Ashley Bloomfield because there are so many lies in their stories. Watch this space.
Jacinda Thatcher says rent controls off the table because she realized it might upset her rich new best buddies. She has made Poto look like an idiot and threw her right under the bus. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/02/jacinda-ardern-says-government-not-considering-rent-controls-after-poto-williams-floated-idea.html
Biggy Smalls
It’s not hard to make Potatoe Williams look like a total idiot. She’s a natural at it. Pity she’ll crawl back out from under that bus. She’s got something on Jacinda….why else would she even hold a minister position????
I identify as an ostrich from now on.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10486861/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-Leading-university-demanding-recognition-people-identify-felines.html
I identify as, a 50ft hedgehog named Spiney Norman…or a small unidentifiable stain on a kitchen counter…can’t make my mind up yet.
I’d like to start with a question.
Name just one thing the state does better than private enterprise.
Jacinda can stand up there and bullshit all day long about everything she’s going to achieve.
Bert will follow along here and support and defend her every word.
But the simple reality is private enterprise, the modern day villain the landlord, would have fixed this or at least improved it exponentially more than Labour has. At a much lower cost to the taxpayer.
But oh no, the highly skilled butcher baker and candlestick maker running our country know better.
Mick
Bert will tell you that it’s National’s fault that Jacinda promised to build 100,000 house and fix the poverty problem. National tied her up in an old shipping container, shone a bright light in her eyes, and then used water torture to force her to say all those things. Appears they are still doing it to this day…”bla bla bla the previous govt”…”bla bla bla the previous govt”. Well, the previous govt was…hey bingo, funny that…it was Jacinda’s govt from 2017 to 2020!!! How about that??? Anyhow, enough idiots will put her back in power because more than 50% of the nation are now dependent on the state for survival. The perfect political strategy is unfolding before our eyes: make more and more and more people poor and then play them like string puppets as they grovel and drool for govt assistance.
Yes TNK that’s her game which unfortunately there are enough people to fall for it and return her and her do nothing comrades to power.
mick – private enterprise has had approx 540yrs to reverse/ameliorate/fix/halt the decline..has it? NOPE…why? because McMansions are more profitable for spec builders….
If you think about it rationally outside your little ideological box, it’s ad hoc, piecemeal speculative development that has actually caused the problem…well that along with massive governmental neglect and open malice from BOTH parties.
soz guy that should read ’40yrs’
Gagarin.
540 years, sweet Jesus; you make Jacinda and Grant whining about 9 years look decidedly reasonable.
I have absolutely zero idea how you claim we’ve been in decline for 540 years. Perhaps your not claiming that? Because it’s utter rubbish.
By the way, why don’t you start the list of all that govt does better?
Next. Builders don’t spec build mansions, if the odd one does, it’s less than .001% of new builds so stop making shit up.
The simple reality is, it’s a complex problem, and it’s been made exponentially worse over recent years by successive political decisions, and govts.
You only need to see or understand how much cold hard cash from a new build ends up either directly or indirectly in local and central govt accounts to see where the greatest driver of cost is.
Just to scratch the surface
GST
Building consents
Resource consents
Legal
Iwi consultation
Development contributions
Peer reviews for professional services such as engineering because council wants to have no accountability
Very high trade costs due to supply and demand issues. (Not enough trades people because we fucked the apprenticeship system and sent all the kids to uni to get arts degrees)
Health and safety
Duopoly in building materials (look at political donations and lobbyists to see why there’s no appetite from govt to anything)
Remember Shane Jones and his big mouth banging on about this in opposition?
What did he do in power?
Building regulations forcing costs on all, where not required
I could go on and on, but I can’t be bothered. You’ll still blame John Key, and I have an episode of Ozark to watch 🙂
Mick, Mc Mansions is a particular type of development large houses with cardboard porticos and plaster ‘architectural detals’ and they’re all over.
And your constant excuses mean that you know full well but prefer to hide it.
if you insist that construction costs are the fault of govt/councils not the market feel free to provide a line item cost break down including profit.
Ozark is pretty good I do think the new series is getting a bit lame though.
Sadly there are not butchers, baker and candlestick makers in our current government. We are led by people that have a degree in Communications.
Any butcher would know something about building, they have to have commercial kitchens in order to do their business, same as with the Baker, or the Cook, and they have to have the council sign off on these kitchens.
I would rather my government be full of butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, throw in a cabinet maker and a cobbler for good measure, then that current lot of Student dudes and dudettes.
Just in case you hadn’t heard, Luxon used to work for Air NZ. If you miss the first minute of any interview with him that detail can be overlooked.
To be fair Luxon might end up doing some positive things but all this Shiite about being a business wonk makes you a great PM is rubbish. Running a govt for all is NOT running a business.
Who is running a govt for all? Do tell? Don’t say Jacinda and Labour…
Just in case you hadn’t heard, Luxon used to work for Air NZ. If you miss the first minute of any interview with him that detail can be overlooked.
To be fair Luxon might end up doing some positive things but all this Shiite about being a business wonk makes you a great PM is rubbish. Running a govt for all is NOT running a business.
To be fair you have to forgive the media for getting excited about this novelty.
I mean Jacinda, Grant, Chris, they’ve got such an amazing pedigree haven’t they.
Sabine, you are quite right.
I would like to sincerely apologise to all butchers bakers and candlestick makers.
Reverse the question….the real answer may surprise you=NOTHING.
Lack of state houses is only part of the problem, isn’t it. Have a degree or a real skill behind you? Earning ‘good’ money? Live somewhere where entry level houses are at the high end of the national average. Oh, fuck, the reality hits … rents take up a third, if not more, of your salary and banks are asking more than the average Joe or Jill can salt away just for the deposit. I know life ain’t fair … but it’s got a lot more unjust. Rather be paying 18% interest in 1980 than pushing shit uphill now.
A percentage of state houses could at least be built to be more transportable, so the house could be used again at a different location, instead of being dismantled.
a perfectly good state house was demolished rather then removed two years ago. Then the plot of land was empty until three month ago. Now there are three houses going up there – i guess they waited for the green light.
Never mind, the perfectly good state house that was demolished and the empty plot for two years, and the fact that at the rate of building these three houses will become available next year at best.
Like railway lines converging on the horizon Aderne becomes more like Boris Johnson everyday.
A couple of exceptions…
Johnson’s scruffy persona is carefully calculated to disarm.
Aderne seems to have an Imelda Marcos size wardrobe.
Boris is by nature a bumbler with a high IQ.. Aderne is a calculating political operative.
Both love the limelight.
Both refuse to accept responsibility for error, but gleefully bask in admiration from the gullible.
Johnson has Brexit, Aderne clings to covid.
Johnson flattens a child in mock rugby game. Aderne elbows a sign language interpreter.
Both will leave office with a Passchendaele like field of broken promises.
Jokers to the left of me, jokers to the right etc etc.