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...

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...

The National Government is still the property speculator’s best friend, Green Party said today. Mortgage lending data released today by the Reserve Bank shows that residential property investors are borrowing more than three times as much as first home buyers. “Under the National Government, it’s clearly still much easier to buy a third, fourth, or fifth investment house, rather than your first home to live in,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “People just trying to get their own home...

The Government’s continued undermining of Te Puea Marae is disgraceful, and does a disservice to the homeless people who are being helped by the marae, the Green Party said today. “The Government has spent more time undermining Te Puea Marae than supporting its exceptional work in helping the homeless. Paula Bennett’s office leak is the worst example of this underhanded and unnecessary behaviour,” said Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson. “The fact is, Te Puea Marae has made the...

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 Prime Minister should apologise for misleading the country about the Ministry of Social Development’s interactions with homeless people in south Auckland, the Green Party said today. “John’s Key’s attempt to distract New Zealanders from the Government’s housing failures has threatened the great work that the Salvation Army does with homeless families,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “He went out of his way to try to make these homeless people look bad by saying they declined Government help –...

New research showing a jump in homelessness in New Zealand is a sign that the Government’s current approach to the issue is failing, the Green Party said today. The University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) study reveals that between the 2006 and 2013 censuses, the number of New Zealanders who are “severely housing deprived” increased from 33,295 to 41,705. The figures do not include people living in emergency accommodation such as night shelters, and do not take into account the three...

The Government’s National Policy Statement (NPS) on urban development is good in theory, but won’t build the affordable houses Aucklanders are crying out for, the Green Party said today. “Aucklanders need more homes now, as well as good blueprints for how to build neighbourhoods in the future,” said Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “New Zealanders are looking to the Government for solutions to the housing crisis, and all they’re seeing today is Nick Smith waving a planning document...

News that the only potential buyer for 348 state houses in Invercargill has pulled out of the deal is another blow to the Government’s flawed plan to rid itself of responsibility of state homes and their tenants, the Green Party said today. “The state-house sell-off has been a disaster from day one, and what’s happened in Invercargill is just another example of the Government’s sheer ineptness on this issue,” said Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson. “This risk now...