Comments by the Reserve Bank today that the Government should consider ‘further reducing the tax advantage of investing in residential housing’ highlight that the Government could be doing much more to fix the housing crisis, the Green Party said. “John Key said earlier this week the Reserve Bank should ‘get on’ with fixing the housing crisis, but the Bank has put the spotlight back on the National Government’s inaction,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “When the Reserve...

The Green Party and Labour will launch an inquiry into the growing homelessness crisis after the Government rejected calls from MPs on the Social Services Select Committee to investigate the issue. “The Government could’ve agreed to take the homelessness crisis seriously by supporting a cross-parliamentary inquiry, but unfortunately they’ve instead chosen to keep ignoring the issue,” said Green Party Social Housing spokesperson Marama Davidson.  “You only have to walk along Courtenay Place and Queen Street to see that homelessness is growing...

John Key’s call for tougher lending controls for property speculators again demonstrates a Government in crisis mode over the hugely damaging housing price bubble, the Green Party said today. Prime Minister John Key yesterday signaled to the Reserve Bank that it should quickly extend existing loan-to-value ratio restrictions to investors to help slow house price rises. The latest monthly QV House Price Index shows values nationwide are now rising at the fastest rate since 2004, with the average house value...

A new Consumer NZ survey showing almost 40 percent of households have had to cut back on heating their homes because of the cost of power shows that power prices are too high under National, the Green Party said. The Electricity Authority has suggested changes to the rules about how electricity lines charges are set, which are likely to result in even higher power bills for many households. “When two out of every five households are forced to go cold...

John Key’s trade mission to Indonesia needs to address the ongoing crackdown on human rights in West Papua, the Green Party said today. 

Out of control house price rises in Auckland and around the country further highlight how the National Government’s tinkering is failing to address the housing crisis, the Green Party said today. The latest QV House Price Index released today shows that Auckland house prices have continued to rise strongly, with Auckland's average house value now $975,087. The Auckland market has increased 16.1 percent year-on-year and 4.7 percent over the past three months. Values there are now 78 percent higher than...

The National Government is removing critical frontline support for families who are struggling, the Green Party said today.

Emerging disagreements with councils about National’s new infrastructure loans policy shows it was rushed and poorly thought through, the Green Party said today. “National’s infrastructure loans idea is less than two days old and already the wheels are falling off,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “This is a housing policy which doesn’t actually create any new houses, from a Government that’s all out of good ideas. “Yesterday John Key announced his new policy, and today Auckland’s mayor is already...

National’s loan to help councils deal with the housing crisis is a step in the right direction, but risks failing if it doesn’t build affordable homes for first home buyers, the Green Party said today. “John Key made no mention of building affordable houses with this loan, meaning any new houses could remain out of reach of first-home buyers,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “The market typically builds bigger houses that target high-income earners, so the Government needs to...

John Key needs to stand down Foreign Affairs Minister Murry McCully following an admission by Saudi businessman George Assaf that there was no threat of legal action over the live sheep import ban, the Green Party said today. In an interview screened on the Nation today, Saudi businessman George Assaf said his company had no “appetite or ambition” to take the New Zealand Government to court over the ban on the live sheep exports to Saudi Arabia. This contradicts claims...