Auckland and Auckland Councillors must unite to support the Unitary Plan, because the alternative is more squabbling while families continue to be locked out of home ownership, the Green Party said today. “The average Auckland house price is nearly a million dollars and completely unaffordable for most people. The Unitary Plan is an important step towards fixing that,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “We’re pleased that the independent panel has recognised that if you want an affordable, liveable city...

Auckland housing is unaffordable and a responsible Government would have a sensible plan to reduce house prices over time, while protecting families with mortgages, the Green Party said today. “The simple fact is that housing in Auckland is totally unaffordable and if we don’t take action to bring house prices down, we will have a whole generation of people locked out of ever owning their own home,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “In around 10 to 15 years’ time,...

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 could face a shortage of teachers, nurses, and police officers if house prices continue rising out of their reach, the Green Party said today. A new survey of Auckland primary schools found that high housing costs are putting teachers off seeking jobs in Auckland, leading to potential staff shortages and overcrowded classes in schools. “It’s becoming completely unaffordable for the people who make our communities function to live in our country’s biggest city,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said....

First-home buyers in Auckland are earning only about half as much as the daily increase in house prices, and are being increasingly shut out of the market, the Green Party said today. REINZ house price data released today showed the median Auckland house price rose $500 every day in June, to a new high of $821,000. “First-home buyers who had scraped together a deposit a month or two ago now won’t have enough and will have to keep saving,” Green...

The Government’s backdown on forcing Housing New Zealand (HNZ) to pay a multimillion-dollar dividend shows that the Government can take measures to help end the housing crisis if it really wants to, the Green Party said today. “Reinvesting HNZ dividends to build more houses just makes sense and I’m pleased the Government is finally showing some flexibility on this,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “It was perverse that National was forcing HNZ to pay a dividend back to the...

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...

The Government needs to come clean about how many more of the construction-related jobs for the SkyCity convention centre will actually be overseas, following news that half of the steel frame construction work has been given to a Thailand-based company, the Green Party said today. “Steven Joyce needs to front up about how many more of the jobs he promised for New Zealanders will actually be overseas,” Green Party gambling spokesperson Denise Roche said. “The pokies-for-convention-centre deal was always bad...

New data showing that the number of homeless people in the Auckland CBD has risen 20 percent in the last year shows the Government needs to start building desperately needed homes, the Green Party said today.* “The Government needs to stop joking about homelessness, as the Prime Minister did in Parliament today, and get on with building more houses,” Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson said. “Families sleeping on the floor of marae, or in their cars, would be...

The Green Party is welcoming the long awaited start to construction of the City Rail Link (CRL) today as the first step to creating a faster and cleaner transport system in Auckland. “The CRL is great for Auckland and shows what can be done when people get behind a transformative project,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “Aucklanders don’t want to spend their time sitting in traffic jams, and we know that better investment in rail, bus, cycling,...