Waatea News Column: 14,496 waiting for Public Housing highlights how far Government has to go
The housing crisis that helped propel Labour into Government has not diminished for the most needy.
Figures released this week show 14, 496 New Zealanders are waiting for Public housing right now.
The spike in need has been partly driven by more people coming forward for help believing Jacinda’s politics of kindness rather than National’s beat the poor mind position, but part of it is because Labour tried to use free-market solutions in a housing market broken by those market solutions.
Building 5800 State Houses in 3 years as Government and hoping that a KiwiBuild market would do the rest is not a solution to this problem.
Building 30,000 more state houses that are warm, dry and sustainable is a solution that then forces the rest of the slum lord market to begrudgingly upgrade their rotting rentals.
Seeing as Māori are over-represented in these statistics, there is an extra emphasis on outcomes and social justice.
We want Jacinda’s politics of kindness and transformative policies, but currently, this Government’s priorities are not matching their promises.
First published on Waatea News.
To be fair to the coalition it was the national party that bulldozed them down under the auspices many were earthquake prone and neglected by Labour.
To be fair to the coalition it was the national party that bulldozed them down under the auspices many were earthquake prone and neglected by Labour.
14,500? 14 and a half thousand?
Guess how many homes are sitting empty in Auckland ALONE, due to (often foreign “owned”) speculator buyers?
A slip under 40,000.
Okay, 39,393.
The answer to the problem is right there!
a-problem-of-our-own-making
(This is one time I’d take a leaf out of Mr Key’s book and shout “Get some Guts!” – to the govt.)
Kheala, how can we take a leaf out of keys book when he had no guts himself
You’re right Michelle, That was not a good image. (sigh)
So for $350,000 you can buy a kiwibuild, that looks like an insulated stand alone prefab, squished onto some land just round the block from me..in the arse end of the ‘nui (Maraenui). Or if you’re local and can’t afford that..how about a state owned infill granny flat at the back of a State house across the road…Everything else aside..where is the vision of design…sure have high density housing..but how about some thought, shared garden space for veggies etc etc..