The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis.
“The Government has given up on the housing crisis, using the review into Kāinga Ora to push their privatisation agenda,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Housing Tamatha Paul.
“Public housing is as essential as public healthcare and public education. Housing is a human right that this Government is denying our communities from accessing.
“The housing crisis in Aotearoa is getting worse and worse. Instead of making excuses to allow poverty and homelessness to skyrocket, the Government needs to back Kāinga Ora to build at scale and at pace.
“This Government is deliberately stripping Kāinga Ora to the bare bones, playing straight into the hands of wealthy landlords looking to exploit housing insecurity for private profit. We cannot rely on the private market to solve our problems, we have seen it entrench poverty and homelessness across generations.
“The last Government sold just 276 state houses over six years, but increased public housing supply by over 7,000 homes. With this new direction, Bishop will sell 900 per year. That’s not just opening the door to privatisation, it’s welcoming it in with open arms.
“In the past, our country’s leaders made a conscious decision to house everybody and grow public housing stock at scale. We can make that decision again and we must resist the sale of public housing at all costs because it will have consequences for generations to come.
“Public housing is a crucial part of ensuring we don’t have gentrified, segregated communities, and that our neighbourhoods reflect the make-up of our wider society, culturally and economically.
“Housing is a public good that provides the basis for a stable home for whanau, so that no one is left behind. The Government should be building thousands of new homes,” says Tamatha Paul.
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