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The recent Housing Report reveals National’s ineptitude when it came to homelessness and housing unaffordability. Even retiring baby-boomers do not escape National’s incompetence when it came to unrestrained migration; insufficient housing stock; spiralling speculation; and poorly-planned infrastructure to cope with a rising population;

It also showed home ownership had slumped dramatically since the 1980s – especially among Pacific and Maori people – and Auckland’s housing problem was created by a mix of population growth, partly fuelled by migration, and the construction and land development sectors “hindering” housing affordability.

It also pointed to a potential time bomb in the impact on housing affordability on the elderly, finding the proportion of older people who were living in mortgage-free homes had dropped from 86 per cent to 72 per cent since the 1980s.

The consequences are now plain for everyone to see.

And just in case some National voters have still missed the point;

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from: Frank Macskasy <fmacskasy@gmail.com>
to: Dominion Post <letters@dompost.co.nz>
bcc: craig.mcculloch@radionz.co.nz,
Benedict Collins <benedict.collins@radionz.co.nz>
date: 12 February 2018
subject: Letters to the editor

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The Editor

The Dominion

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Sir/madam,

The recent Housing Report commissioned by the new Labour-led Coalition is a damning indictment of the previous National government’s indifference and gross negligence to homelessness and housing unaffordability.

The report confirms a worsening housing and homelessness crisis which most New Zealanders saw happening before their very eyes.

In response to their appalling record, National’s housing spokesperson, Michael Woodhouse, told Radio NZ on 12 February;

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“They acknowledge that social housing includes housing provided by NGOs [non governmental organisations] but then ignore that when they conclude that the number of state housing properties have gone down. Clearly that hasn’t happened, they’ve gone up.”

What is clear is that Mr Woodhouse is utterly clueless when it comes to State housing properties.

In the 2008/09 Annual Report, Housing NZ stated that it “manages a portfolio of more than 69,000 houses” (p4).

Nine years later, Housing NZ’s 2016/17 Annual Report revealed “we own or manage approximately 63,000 homes”. (p7)

Either Mr Woodhouse’s or my arithmetic is way out, because that is a 6,000 drop in State housing.

No wonder housing has become this country’s worst social crisis since the Great Depression.

This explains why Bill English still thinks they should be governing. Apparently he and his former ministers cannot count.

-Frank Macskasy

[address & phone number supplied]

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References

Radio NZ:   Housing report paints ‘sobering picture’ of crisis

NZ Herald:  New Zealand ‘a society divided by wealth’ – new housing report

Housing NZ: Annual Report 2008/09

Housing NZ: Annual Report 2016/17

Previous related blogposts

National recycles Housing Policy and produces good manure!

Our growing housing problem

National Housing propaganda – McGehan Close Revisited

Housing; broken promises, families in cars, and ideological idiocy (Part Tahi)

Another ‘Claytons’ Solution to our Housing Problem? When will NZers ever learn?

Government Minister sees history repeat – responsible for death

Housing Minister Paula Bennett continues National’s spin on rundown State Houses

National’s blatant lies on Housing NZ dividends – The truth uncovered!

 

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