18 May 2018

In spite of its claims of a housing crisis and promises to do better the Government will actually deliver fewer social houses than National and fewer houses for New Zealanders overall, National’s Social Housing spokesperson Simon O’Connor says.

“For years Labour claimed there was a housing crisis which it would step in and solve by building tens of thousands of new houses itself. It was an unequivocal promise from an Opposition which made a lot of promises about doing more than National.

“Only it won’t do either, and in fact it will do less than what was already happening under the previous Government.

“As of June last year, National was forecast to deliver almost 6000 more social houses over the next three years, or 2000 a year til 2020, taking the total to 72,000.

“Yet in Budget 2018 the Government has announced it will deliver just 4800 more over the same period – or 1600 per year. They’ve pledged a total of 73,000 by 2023 – so are planning to build only 1000 houses over three years after 2020.

“And let’s not forget Mr Tywford pledged to build 2000 a year when he realised his initial promise of 1000 a year was half what National was doing.

“How does that stack up against Labour’s claims of a crisis and its promise to do better? The answer is, badly. Phil Twyford is not only delivering less than National he’s not meeting his own promise. Labour is actually spending more, borrowing more and delivering less.

“And let’s not forget this is on top of the fact the Government’s flagship KiwiBuild policy has descending into farce.

“It’s now projected to have only half the impact on the residential construction market that the Government had promised, while at the same time we’re seeing a slump in the residential construction sector as a result of this Government’s bad policies.

“All this means fewer houses for all New Zealanders, including our most vulnerable, and a Government leaving a string of broken promises in its wake.

“This is yet another example of this Government saying one thing yet delivering another and it’s New Zealanders paying the price.”

EDITOR’S NOTE:
To view MSD’s June 2017 Quarterly Housing Report please click here.

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