ELECTION 17 – Housing
Party Responses on Housing
Much of the focus around housing is justifiability on young people not being able to buy their first home, however there is going to be a significant crisis for the elderly as they retire. Currently approximately 10% of BOP over 65’s rent, but this is estimated to rise to 30% between 2022 and 2030.1 Even now affordable rentals for those dependent on NZ Superannuation/Veteran Pensions are extremely limited in the BOP. How will you push for better housing communities to be built so older people can live in inclusive environments and not be forced into inappropriate rentals situations?
| ACT
Housing – 1. Older People and the Rental Market in the Western Bay of Plenty Sub-region. Dr Bev James (PP&R) and Dr Kay Saville-Smith (CRESA) Nov 2016.
Housing affordability is the biggest issue this election and ACT rejects the Soviet-style government building programmes proposed by most parties. We also reject blaming immigrants – yes population growth is pushing demand, but those workers are needed, and in any case the 800,000 Kiwis living overseas could return at any time and we need the flexibility to absorb an influx.
The problem is the red tape and infrastructure cost slowing development and inflating section prices. A stronger ACT will finally get the chance to replace the Resource Management Act so that developers can more easily and quickly build out and up to meet demand. We will also demand the abolition of the Auckland metropolitan urban limit, and pass half the GST on new building to councils to fund infrastructure.
Councils will release more land, section prices will fall, smaller lower cost houses will become profitable to develop, house prices will fall, and rents will follow. Land bankers will quit their holdings or build on them. Normality will return to the housing market and all the consequent social, poverty and inequality issues that National have allowed to escalate, will dramatically diminish. This needs to happen now to avoid an impending crisis of retired renters. |
| LABOUR
from Nathaniel Blomfield, Labour Candidate for Coromandel
Housing – Older People and the Rental Market in the Western Bay of Plenty Sub-region. Dr Bev James (PP&R) and Dr Kay Saville-Smith (CRESA) Nov 2016.
Labour believes everyone deserves a decent roof over their heads. As the Salvation Army* has shown, growing numbers of older New Zealanders are living on superannuation and struggling in the private rental market. We are seeing the re-emergence of elder poverty for the first time in generations because of rising rents and a lack of affordable housing. Labour will work with Councils and non-profits to increase the delivery of affordable, safe and secure, warm and dry, tenure-secure housing for older people, using the principles of lifetime design. We will stop National’s state house sell-off, and build thousands of new state homes. We will also reform the tenancy laws to give renters more security of tenure.
* See Taking Stock http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/sites/default/files/uploads/20170814spputakingstockreport.pdf
BY J Tinetti- Candidate for Labour Party
HOUSING -Labour recognises we need more housing for older people. We will work with Local Councils to provide more and better housing for pensioners. Our housing spokesperson, Phil Twyford, has identified pensioner housing as a “major priority” for Labour. |
| NATIONAL
Housing – The key to improving affordability is increasing supply by freeing up land for development. We are currently in the middle of a building and construction boom. Our ongoing programme of reforms to the Unit Titles Act, Urban Development Authorities, Resource Management Act and the Building Act, as well as our own ambitious building programme, will ensure this strong momentum is maintained.
Last month the Government announced the successful applicants for the $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund. This funding will be used to help fast track the vital infrastructure – roads, bridges, water treatment – to speed up housing development. Tauranga will see our fair share – $230 million – which will help bring forward the building of 35,000 homes to meet much of our forecast growth over the next 30 years. |
| NZFIRST
HOUSING
At our 2016 birthday party Mr. Peters was talking about immigration and housing problems. I asked him directly what he was going to do to solve the problem? His answer was “We can stop immigration tomorrow. The housing is going to take a bit longer but we are going to start building affordable houses again.
In the New Zealand First manifesto the Rt Hon Winston Peters MP says ” There is more than enough housing at the top end of incomes and serious shortages at the bottom end.” New Zealand First will provide smaller and more affordable houses on smaller sections in Special Housing Areas.
New Zealand First is committed to empowering senior citizens to enable them to remain independent for as long as they wish. Other points you may be interested in are: –
• New Zealand First will provide low cost government funding to local authorities for new elderly persons housing and public rental housing projects.
• New Zealand First will actively discourage local councils from selling off key strategic assets including pensioner housing.
• Develop a specific Industry Training Organization for the eldercare sector.
• Ensure that planning for the eldercare sector incorporates the capacity for family home carers.
New Zealand First will ensure that New Zealand’s housing stock is restricted to New Zealanders.
• Non-residents who are not New Zealand citizens would be ineligible for home ownership except if a genuine need to do so can be demonstrated.
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