Evicting pensioners: National’s housing plan

National’s new housing policy would see pensioners turfed out of their homes, Acting Housing Minister Rick Barker said today.

According to National’s housing spokesperson David Carter the party would evict people who have been living in their state house for more than 50 years.

Rick Barker says National is being unbelievably hard-hearted as the group the party is targeting with policy would primarily be over 65 and on pensions.

“Why on earth has National decided the solution to housing waiting lists is to turf the nation’s grandmothers and grandfathers out of their homes? National’s cold heartedness beggars belief.

“Let’s get real here. The reason we have a state house waiting list is not because of the government’s income-related rent policy. We have waiting lists because National sold 13,000 state houses when it was in government – enough coincidently to house the entire current state house waiting list.

“What’s amazing about National’s latest plan is that the party says it wants to start selling state houses again. Have they learned nothing from their past mistakes?

“The government will continue to rebuild state houses and provide them to New Zealanders with serious housing need. Housing need doesn’t just go away at some magic point once a tennant has reached the time limit National says it wants to introduce.

“We’ll also introduce new policies like KiwiBank In Reach home loans to help tenants able to afford a mortgage move on from their state house so they are freed up for new tenants.

“It’s hard to understand why National has it in for the nation’s grannies and grandpops. I’m certain that New Zealanders, like me, will be stunned and shocked at the prospect,” Rick Barker said.

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