The National Government is working against itself and New Zealanders when it comes to social housing, the Green Party said today. The New Zealand Herald is reporting today that Housing New Zealand applied to evict four per cent of its tenants last year. “Just a few days ago the Government was being applauded for putting $9 million into programmes to reduce homelessness, but at the same time they are kicking people out with nowhere to go,” Green Party social housing...

Land Information Minister Louise Upston can’t name a good reason to allow non-resident overseas investors to buy New Zealand homes because there isn’t one, the Green Party said today. Minister Upston was questioned this morning about new Land Information New Zealand data on the number of overseas buyers in the New Zealand property market. “Every home sold to an overseas investor is a home that a local family can’t buy,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “The only thing overseas...

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,...

Data released today by the Reserve Bank confirms that National continues to let property speculators drive the housing market, hurting first home buyers, the Green Party said. New Reserve Bank mortgage lending data shows that in June, property investors borrowed $2.56 billion while first home buyers borrowed less than a third of that, just $738 million. Investors took out over 7,000 new mortgage loans in June, compared to only 1,970 mortgages for first home buyers. “National is clearly more interested...

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...

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...