I want to start this article with a few words from the maiden speech I gave in Parliament, back in March:

“New Zealand needs leadership that enrols all of our energies to tackle the tasks facing us. Challenging times demand more than ever that we work together in the interests of all New Zealanders.”

I also went on to say that this country wouldn’t forgive its politicians if we failed to put our differences aside during a time of real crisis. With Delta still a threat you could be forgiven for thinking that I’m referring to the pandemic, and without doubt it’s caused severe disruption to our communities and economy. But that’s not the focus of this article. I’m talking about a housing crisis without end; I’m talking about young couples and families trying to face a pandemic with fortitude while believing that the country has already left them behind.

The dream of homeownership has evaporated for so many people.

They come from all walks of life; some are earning good money, others are saving hard as they hold down two and three jobs, and yet they can’t catch up with a runaway market that robs them of hope.

We need everyone to work together to sort this out: the councils, the politicians, the building industry – the team of New Zealanders that has already proven it can face down a challenge if we all pull together.

I know National has been reaching out to MPs across the political spectrum, to build a united front. Plans are being shared for the decisive action that’s needed to build more homes fast. This is great news and it’s urgently needed. We have proven how decisive action is the difference between success and failure with Covid. Our children, who are losing hope that they will ever buy a home, are expecting us to deliver that same concerted effort on housing.

The housing crisis is the biggest issue facing the country according to 53% of Kiwis and 49% of Aucklanders.

Those statistics are quite telling, especially at a time when we are still battling a pandemic, struggling to keep businesses viable and essentially shut off from the rest of the world. That the challenge people face to simply put a roof over their heads is the dominant concern of so many is a signal that New Zealanders understand how important it is that we solve this.

It’s a big problem, and our nation’s finances have taken a ravaging thanks to the pandemic. In this situation, we need innovative and decisive decision-making to free-up the logjam. The Resource Management Act exerts a stranglehold on development and we can’t wait four years to sort it out; if the RMA is broken let’s agree a way to get around it so we can build houses this year. If councils don’t have the money for necessary infrastructure, speed up the allocation of funds for waste, water and road construction.

I’ll close this article by returning to my maiden speech and my closing remarks on the housing crisis: “All that’s lacking is our willingness to look beyond what we’ve always done, and act.”

I know there are people in my electorate who are hoping that people in Wellington have heard that message.