02 May 2024
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Our public housing system is bursting at the seams with record high numbers of New Zealanders waiting for a state house, National’s Housing spokesperson Nicola Willis says.
Figures released today show there are now 22,521 people waiting for public housing, roughly four times as many as when National left office. On average, people will wait 177 days to be housed.
These are Kiwis classified as ‘at risk’ with a ‘severe and persistent housing need that must be addressed immediately’. Roughly half of those waiting for a home are families with children, Ms Willis says.
“While it’s good to see many of the public houses National planned in Government are now being built, it’s not enough to keep up with the surging demand. In the past year the wait list grew by 7652, while Kāinga Ora built just 1150 houses.
“The state house waiting list is exploding because more and more Kiwis are being priced out of the private market as rents surge and construction fails to keep up with demand.
“National proposed constructive solutions to address the root causes of New Zealand’s housing emergency and unlock a surge in new house building.
“We have offered to work with the Government on temporary emergency measures like those used after the Canterbury earthquake to make more space available for development. We can’t afford to wait until 2024 for RMA reform to take effect.”
National has also asked the Government explore these immediate actions:
“National will continue to put forward constructive ideas to address this country’s housing shortage,” Ms Willis says.
02 May 2024
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