Labour’s housing plan needed for Wellington as prices top $600,000 – Labour Party

As the price of the average house in Wellington passes $600,000, the need for Labour’s plan to build affordable houses is getting more urgent, says Labour MP for Rimutaka Chris Hipkins.

“Last month, Andrew Little announced a plan to build 400 affordable KiwiBuild homes and state houses on land in the Hutt Valley as the first steps in our plan to ease the Wellington housing crisis.

“It’s clear that there aren’t enough houses being built to keep up with Wellington region’s growing population. Fewer houses were consented in the last year than in 2008. House prices are up over 20% in the past year.

“National has demolished state houses and left huge areas of government-owned land vacant for years in the middle of this housing crisis. It’s a disgrace.

“Labour is rolling out our comprehensive plan to fix the housing crisis. We will build affordable homes for first homebuyers to purchase. We’ll crack down on speculators who use our houses as gambling chips. And we’ll help families in need by building more state houses,” says Chris Hipkins.