Labour doubts housing target

Frustrating delays mean a Government target of replenishing the Christchurch housing stock by 2016 is optimistic, builders say.

Housing Minister Nick Smith told a parliamentary committee yesterday that based on consent numbers, the city’s housing stock would be back to pre-quake levels by 2016.

Smith said the city would continue to struggle with a tight housing market until then, as the population climbed.

‘‘There’s only one fix – build replacements quickly, and I am hugely encouraged that Christchurch is now building more houses than ever in its history.’’

Labour housing spokesman Phil Twyford said the Government did not have ‘‘a snowball’s show in hell’’ of fixing the shortage by 2016, given current building levels.

He claimed only 1000 houses had been built since the earthquake while 12,000 to 15,000 were needed, ‘‘which I think is appalling’’.

‘‘The total failure of the Government to get the residential rebuild happening borders on the criminal . . . Cantabrians have had to put up with a huge amount of unnecessary hardship, skyrocketing rents and people living in substandard conditions.’’

Smith disputed the figure, saying more than 2000 homes had been consented and 1000 rebuilt, and the Government was working as quickly as was practical.

Statistics New Zealand figures show while the Opposition quoted quake-related consents, most lost homes are being rebuilt on new sites so are not included in that data.

In the year to the end of March, the Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri councils issued 5540 consents for new homes, including 300 for multi-unit apartment blocks. More than half were in Christchurch city.

The total was 50 per cent higher than the previous year.

Pavlos van Aalst, head of Golden Homes in Christchurch, said numbers had been ramping up but had now levelled off. A lot of new homes were going into subdivisions but owners rebuilding on existing sites were still hitting roadblocks, he said.

Van Aalst said people were ‘‘going round and round in circles’’ with engineers, quotes, costings, insurance companies, and foundation regulations. As well, there were issues including flood heights and new contamination zones to contend with.

‘‘The insurance companies are doing a good job, and builders are geared up, it’s what’s happening in the middle.’’