Housing report shows shocking reality of crisis, says minister

Claire Trevett

A “sobering” housing report released by the Government has been labelled an ideological witch-hunt and rehash of its authors’ views.

But Housing Minister Phil Twyford says the report sheds light on the shocking state of the housing crisis and growing number of homeless.

Twyford said 12-15 housing developments the same size as Hobsonville would be under way simultaneously once the Government’s KiwiBuild programme was operating. He made the comment during the stocktake report’s release yesterday on homelessness, housing affordability, the rental market and state housing.

It put the problems in Auckland down to the slow development of infrastructure and land development as well as population growth.

Twyford said suitable Crown land had been ident- ified in Auckland for largescale KiwiBuild developments. The Government would also buy private land and houses off the plan in private developments as KiwiBuild homes.

“. . . Government can be a real catalyst in this area to really scale up the level of ambition. For example, we are talking about 12 to 15 development project sites in Auckland alone on the scale of a Hobsonville. Twelve to 15 project running simultaneously.”

The Hobsonville Point development will have about 4500 homes when completed.

One of the authors, economist Shamubeel Eaqab, said KiwiBuild should be aiming for 500,000 houses — not the 100,000 proposed — and the Government should not be scared of borrowing to do it.

He said Housing New Zealand in particular should be geared up to increase building and he believed that state house numbers should double during the next decade.

Eaqab also called for urgent reforms in tenancy laws and the rental market, saying that would provide immediate relief to more people than housing developments would.

Property Institute chief Ashley Church labelled the report nothing more than an ideological witch-hunt.

“The focus has diverted away from all of that good stuff into one particular area — the area of homelessness — in a way which is unreasonable and amplifies those figures.”

National’s housing spokesman, Michael Woodhouse, said the report added no new knowledge or solutions and simply repeated the authors’ well-publicised views.

“The Government has created an expectation that thousands of New Zealanders are going to get access to a significantly subsidised first home and there’s no sign that that’s going to happen.”