Kelvin Davis
MP for Te Tai Tokerau
Māori Development spokesperson

MEDIA STATEMENT

22 September 2016

Māori Party housing plan complete failure

The Māori Party’s housing plan to put more Māori into more homes has been a complete failure with fewer than five loans granted per year, says Labour’s Maori Development spokesperson Kelvin Davis.

“The Māori Party pitched the Kainga Whenua scheme as a home-ownership saving’s plan but the Minister of Maori Development has fallen short of his promise and must explain exactly how many Māori lives have actually improved under his watch.

“Te Ururoa Flavell must accept the housing crisis is a disaster for Maori. The Minister has overseen some of the worst declines in Māori home ownership, families with babies living in cars and being in a government his co-leader called a slumlord.

“The failure of the Kainga Whenua scheme is more proof that the Māori National partnership is of no benefit to Māori.

“Te Ururoa Flavell needs to face the fact that he’s done minimal work to stop the Māori home ownership rate plummeting to just 28% while Maori have a rate of homelessness more than five times greater than the Pākeha population.

“The Māori Party must also explain why they supported National’s state house sell off, given over 42% of those on the wait list are Māori and no iwi provider has been successful in purchasing these properties,” says Kelvin Davis.

ends

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