A new poll shows New Zealanders have grasped the realities of the housing crisis better than the Prime Minister and his Government, the Green Party said today.
New data from UMR shows that 85 percent of Aucklanders say there is a housing crisis, and 60 percent of Aucklanders and 55 percent of home-owners nationwide believe house prices should come down.
“It’s clear that most New Zealanders know National has let Auckland house prices get out of control and it’s now time to rein them in,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.
“We need a careful, managed plan to raise incomes and reduce median Auckland house prices over time to a level where housing is affordable again.
“National can’t keep ignoring the fact that if there’s no plan to fix the housing crisis, we run the risk of a sudden market crash that could really hurt people and the economy more broadly.
“The role of Government is to make sure the economy is working for everyone, and that means making sure people can buy affordable homes for three to four times the median household income.
“When John Key says this data needs to be taken with a grain of salt, he’s actually rubbing salt in the wounds of middle and low income Auckland families who are currently locked out of the housing market.
“John Key says reducing house prices would be a ‘war on the poor’ but the real war on the poor has been his Government’s policies that have led to rents rising twice as fast as wages and thousands of state homes being sold off.
“If the Government was serious about fixing the housing crisis, it would stop property speculators with a proper capital gains tax (excluding the family home), ban sales to foreign investors, and build thousands of affordable homes,” said Mrs Turei.
Latest Housing Announcements
Story
National’s public housing reform ‘cuts costs’ at the expense of our most vulnerable
Story
Luxon confirms criminalisation of those he’s made homeless
Story
Greens announce plan to end homelessness & fix housing crisis
Story
Increasing homelessness requires increased political commitment to end homelessness
Story
Govt homelessness announcement a drop in the ocean
Story
Government rolls out red carpet for mega-rich on housing
Latest Auckland Issues Announcements
Story
Luxon confirms criminalisation of those he’s made homeless
Story
Luxon chooses to punish the homeless after making more people homeless
Story
Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre
Story
Waka Kotahi miss the boat on community needs for Waiheke ferry services
Story
A new life for St James Theatre
Story
Auckland flood response report requires urgent action
Latest Building and Construction Announcements
Story
Let’s build better, warmer, and climate-friendly
Sustainable buildings and warm dry homes
Story
National would rather save landlords some cash than look after sick kids: Green Party
Story
Stop charging homeless people for emergency housing
Story
Green Party: Building code out of date and won’t ensure warm, dry homes
Story