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Govt in persistent denial about housing crisis
The Government owes it to New Zealanders to admit we have a housing crisis and to prioritise getting more people into secure homes by making long lasting changes to the housing market, the Green Party said today. Yesterday’s announcement of $300 million funding for emergency housing over the next four years has come on the back of pressure from the sector and the Cross Party Inquiry into Homelessness which reported back last month. “There is no question that this money... -
Bennett breaks promise to support marae and homeless
Manurewa marae needed much better support from the Government in order to do its work helping homeless whanau, the Green Party said today. This Wednesday is the last day of Manurewa Marae’s Whakapiki Ora programme, which has helped 72 whānau and found permanent homes for 28. The marae is unable to continue their good work without support and funding from the Ministry of Social Development. “Their work at the marae has been challenging and really hard. What they have achieved... -
Housing crisis to blame for child rheumatic fever cases
Children in Auckland are falling ill with rheumatic fever as a direct result of the Government’s failure to address the housing crisis and child poverty, the Green Party said today. Figures released today show the number of children with rheumatic fever in the Auckland and Waitemata district health board areas has stayed at the same level, despite a Rheumatic Fever Prevention Programme running for five years now. “This is a stark reminder that the housing crisis isn’t going away, and... -
Government’s housing plans ring hollow
The Government’s Auckland housing plans lack substance and are years behind where they should be, the Green Party said today. Bill English has said he has no information about how much land he plans to sell off as part of planned redevelopments, and can’t say how many new houses will be sold at affordable prices, in answers to written parliamentary questions from the Green Party. “The Minister responsible for Housing NZ has no idea how much land he’s going to... -
Number of struggling families growing under National
A huge leap in Special Needs Grants show that more and more New Zealanders cannot afford the basics of life, the Green Party said today. Figures released from the Ministry of Social Development late yesterday show that in the last year there has been a 46.4 percent increase in Special Needs Grants payments, which people apply for to pay for things including emergency housing and food. The total amount of hardship assistance provided by the Government has increased 27.4 percent... -
Broke Housing New Zealand a symbol of National’s economic failures
Reports that Housing New Zealand is about to run out of money, just as it’s supposed to be building new houses to alleviate the housing crisis, is a symptom of National’s economic mismanagement, the Green Party said today. “Bill English has run Housing New Zealand into the ground and now he’s going to have to do an emergency bail-out,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said. “Bill English should have used Housing New Zealand to kick-start a Government-building programme back in... -
Inquiry presents solutions to homelessness – Govt must act
Labour, the Green Party and the Māori Party are calling on the Government to immediately adopt the 20 recommendations set out in today’s Ending Homelessness in New Zealand report. This morning, the Cross-Party Inquiry into Homelessness has released its final report. Over the last several months the Inquiry has received hundreds of written and oral submissions from around New Zealand, which have been brought together into one report along with a set of 20 recommendations. Notable recommendations include: Rolling out... -
New government-built houses must be affordable
Bill English should release the details of the new houses he says will be built by the Government, including how affordable they’ll actually be, the Green Party said today. Finance Minister Bill English has announced that the Government’s building programme in Auckland will increase under the Unitary Plan, after years of insisting the Government shouldn’t be building houses itself. “It looks like National may have finally discovered how to build houses, just in time for the election next year, but... -
Survey shows sense on housing affordability
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... -
Driveway rentals new low for housing crisis
Reports that people in Auckland are looking for driveways to park and live in their cars shows how bad the housing crisis has got, the Green Party said today. “In eight years under National we’ve become a country where for too many people, having a home to call your own is a privilege, not a right,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “We’re seeing hardworking people with jobs who can’t afford to rent a home for them and their families....