Smith’s next step must be housing action

Nick Smith’s next step must be action to fix the housing crisis, now he’s accepted that Auckland is unaffordable for first home buyers, the Green Party said.

“New Zealand has gone through the five stages of grief in the housing crisis, and now that the Building and Housing Minister has reached the fifth stage – acceptance – it’s time for him to take action,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said.

“Nick Smith has finally recognised what people in Auckland have known for a very long time – houses are too expensive.

“The next step is for the Government to start building thousands more affordable homes and crack down on property speculation.

“The Government has been stuck in denial about the housing crisis, while first home buyers have been moving through the other stages of grief: anger at the Government’s inaction, bargaining with banks to get a bigger mortgage, and depression at constantly being outbid by property speculators.

“We cannot leave the housing crisis to the Reserve Bank alone to solve with new lending restrictions. We need more affordable housing being built and stronger action to stop property speculation,” said Ms Genter.

Action

Oppose New Zealand First’s Member’s Bill!

Support Trans Rights | Oppose the Gender Definition Bill

Action

Reject the Defining Gender Bill

Reject the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill introduced by New Zealand First.

Action

Disability Support System - Submission Guide

Uphold disability rights so disabled people and their whānau can thrive. Oppose the Disability Support Services Bill

Action

Oppose the 2026 budget

Sign our petition to show you oppose the Government's 2026 budget

Action

Leave our homes alone!

The Green Party is calling on the Government to stop its attack on people living in public housing - join our call today!

Action

Drug Overdose (Assistance Protection) Legislation Bill Submission Guide

Support Green MP Kahurangi Carter’s Bill to protect overdose emergency callers from legal risks!

Action

Keep Fees Free

Join our call to keep Fees Free for tertiary education!

Action

Protect Conservation Land

Sign out petition to oppose the Conservation Amendment Bill and protect conservation land!

Action

Stop the Fisheries Amendment Bill

Sign today to protect our moana.

Action

Electrify everything

Show your support for a National Electrification Plan!

Action

A home for everybody

A home for everybody - sign and share the open letter today!

Action

Tell us your stories about our special places

Share with us your stories about the places threatened by being fast tracked for mining permits.

Action

Protect our tamariki - Sign the open letter

Every child in Aotearoa deserves to grow up with safety and stability, wrapped in aroha. Sign our open letter today and help make that a reality!

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Finance Announcements

Story

Budget 2026 hides a nearly $500 million KiwiSaver hole across the public service

The Green Party says Budget 2026 leaves a hole of nearly half a billion dollars, the cost of the higher employer KiwiSaver contribution for most of...

Chlöe Swarbrick Budget speech 2026

Mr Speaker, the Greens want every New Zealander to feel proud of our country. Not just for our history; for granting women the vote, standing agai...

Cost of living driven by fossil fuels and power price hikes

The Green Party says new Stats NZ data shows a 2.1% increase in household living costs is driven by out of control fossil fuel and power prices, an...

Soaring power prices show urgent need for electrification

The Green Party says today's inflation figures show power prices are once again a key driver of the cost-of-living crisis, and reinforce calls for ...

The real cost of Willis’ failed economic strategy: empty chairs at Christmas

The Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) shows Nicola Willis’ “year of growth” has not only totally failed to deliver but has come at a ste...

Greens respond to Labour’s CGT announcement

“Labour’s watered down Capital Gains Tax announcement today falls far short of meeting the needs of New Zealanders,” says the Green Party Co-Leader...

Story

Luxon confirms criminalisation of those he’s made homeless

Luxon’s decision to provide Police with the power to issue move-on orders to homeless people as young as 14 will have disastrous consequences for o...

Luxon chooses to punish the homeless after making more people homeless

The Green Party is imploring the Government to choose actual solutions to homelessness, after Ministers today announced the Government’s plan to ef...

Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre

Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration.

Waka Kotahi miss the boat on community needs for Waiheke ferry services

Auckland Central Green MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, this morning received a long awaited OIA with official advice and consultants’ reports on whether to re...

A new life for St James Theatre

After years of community organising, Green MP for Auckland Central Chlöe Swarbrick is thrilled to announce today alongside Deputy Prime Minister Ho...

Auckland flood response report requires urgent action

Auckland Central Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick welcomes the findings of the Auckland Flood Response Review and urges Council to not delay implementing t...

Story

Let’s build better, warmer, and climate-friendly

The Government must take steps to ensure that the way we build our homes is helping to meet New Zealand’s climate change targets, the Green Party s...

Sustainable buildings and warm dry homes

Everyone has the right to a warm, dry home. Instead, housing in Aotearoa often makes us sick from damp and cold. In Aotearoa, much of our housing s...

National would rather save landlords some cash than look after sick kids: Green Party

The National Party is more concerned about the back pocket of property investors than sick kids and the elderly, Green Party Co-leader Marama David...

Stop charging homeless people for emergency housing

The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop sending homeless people into thousands of dollars of debt with the Ministry of Social Develop...

Green Party: Building code out of date and won’t ensure warm, dry homes

In response to calls for a compulsory energy rating for buildings the Green Party is renewing calls for the building code to take better account of...

Green Party calling for bold steps to tackle issues in Salvation Army report

The Green Party agrees with the Salvation Army that bold new steps are needed to stop a worrying trajectory of increased rent rises and homelessnes...