HOUSING FIX WILL TAKE MORE THAN ONE TERM
The Government is now making significant and measureable progress, on the way to fulfilling their ‘‘100,000 houses over 10 years’’ promise. In Auckland’s Northcote, there are developments covering large areas of adjoining land bigger than football fields, and creating many hundreds of homes/ apartments and town houses.
This is being repeated across the country – (more than 1000 hectares in Porirua alone, for example). Now Phil Twyford’s 2020 Urban Development Act, streamlining all the different processes required into much simpler and quicker resolution, is being given its just due, and is to be implemented nationwide.
From the start, housingpolicy critics, across all media, were far too quick to condemn the government’s progress, conveniently omitting it was promised ‘‘ . . . over 10 years’’ – and citing this as a prime example of this Government’s incompetence.
They also forgot Rachel Hunter’s well-known television commercial advice: ‘‘It won’t happen overnight – but it will happen!’’
Blindingly obvious that a promise this big can’t possibly happen ‘‘overnight’’. However, this is what those critics were (absurdly) demanding. That it should. Totally unrealistic – and extremely unfair.
At election time, I’m voting for this government, so this ‘‘100,000 Homes’’ target will continue, to be reached ‘‘within 10 years’’. One term, even without the ‘‘Handbrake’’ (peters) - is too short for such a far-reaching goal. But it will be scrapped if the Opposition are returned to power – you can bet your house on it!
Clyde Scott, Birkenhead