Moving rate a human rights issue
The private rental market is forcing low-income Kiwis to move too often, the human rights watchdog has told the new Government.
In its briefing to incoming Justice Minister Andrew Little, the Human Rights Commission points to housing as a serious issue that is likely stopping New Zealand meet its international obligations to uphold human rights.
It suggests an increase in secure social housing to combat New Zealand’s rate of ‘‘residential mobility’’ - in which almost one in five Kiwis moves every year. This is the highest rate of moving in the Western world, and close to twice the rate in Britain.
Most of the moving occurs in the private rental market, and many of the people shifting are part of low-income families.
‘‘Families with children, particularly one-parent and Ma¯ori and Pacific families, experience much higher levels of discrimination in the private rental market,’’ the briefing says.
Housing, in general, had developed into a ‘‘major human rights issue with multiple effects on people’s health and wellbeing’’, particularly children.
A 2015 government report showed 19.6 per cent of people moved every year. Almost one in three children in low-income families moved early in their lives, compared with about one in five children in high-income families.
The commission notes that rental laws allow landlords to kick tenants out without cause and do not impose any responsibility on a landlord for vulnerable families.
Housing Minister Phil Twyford has promised new legislation by the end of 2018 that would get rid of no-cause terminations and limit rent increases to once per year.
But the commission suggests more than just new rental laws: within the document officials suggest that, for the most vulnerable, the security provided by state housing is the best option.
The new Government has promised to stop the state-house sell off and build at least 1000 new state homes a year.
A separate briefing on the state housing situation released on Thursday suggests the amount of state homes already in the pipeline is not enough to meet current demand.
Close to 6000 eligible families were waiting for state homes as of September, up 72 per cent over the previous two years.
In the view of the commission, the problems in housing were so dire that New Zealand would need to seriously change things to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development goal 11: ‘‘That all people have access to safe adequate and affordable housing by 2030.’’
New Zealand signed up to the human rights commitment but was not yet on its way to meeting it.
Twyford has met with the commission since entering Government and said there was plenty of crossover between its view and his.
‘‘I really welcome [the] advocacy for a rights-based approach to housing.
‘‘The coalition Government believes that housing is a basic human right and we should treat it as such.’’
The previous housing minister, Nick Smith, rejected criticism of his record in office on Thursday.
‘‘What we do know is that in my period as minister we grew the number of houses being built in New Zealand from 14,000 per year to 31,000 per year,’’ Smith said.
‘‘I think you’ve got a new Government that is trying to make it look as bad as possible.’’