John Key has once again shown how out of touch he is with ordinary New Zealanders by denying there’s a crisis in the Auckland housing market, the Green Party said today.
“John Key obviously doesn’t know what it’s like for a young couple wanting to buy their first home in Auckland, who are constantly being outbid by investors looking to make a quick buck,” said Green Party housing spokesperson Kevin Hague.
“He needs to stop denying there’s a housing crisis and do something meaningful about it instead.
“John Key’s claim today that there are ‘many, many, many’ homes for sale for between $300,000 and $500,000 is wrong.
“According to REINZ, there were 2,359 houses sold in Auckland in February. Just 475 were sold for between $300,000 and $499,000. An astonishing 1762 were sold for $500,000 and above, with 482 sold for more than a million dollars.
“Housing affordability is getting worse under this Government.
“It’s time the Government acknowledged what’s happening in Auckland for what it is – a crisis – and looked beyond their own noses for a solution.
“Nick Smith’s kneejerk ‘no’ to a cross-party accord on housing affordability is symbolic of how pig-headed the Government is being.
“A cross-party accord could investigate the ‘fixes’ this Government refuses to engage with, including a capital gains tax, restrictions on housing ownership by non-resident foreigners and regional economic development to shift jobs to places where there are plenty of houses.
“Instead, we’re in for more of the same, with more Aucklanders getting locked out of home ownership,” said Mr Hague.
