Data revealed to National shows that Kāinga Ora rent debt totalled $16.3 million in June 2022, up a staggering 81 per cent from July 2021, National’s Housing spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“In July 2021, the amount of money owed to Kāinga Ora in rent was $9 million. A year later, that number skyrocketed to $16.3 million. Over 9700 Kāinga Ora tenants are now in arrears.

“Rent paid by Kāinga Ora tenants is related to their income, so the fact that so many tenants can no longer even afford that shows just how bad the cost of living crisis has got under Labour.

“From January to June this year, there was a 45 per cent increase in the number of Kāinga Ora tenants who have fallen behind in their rent payments by 1-6 months.

“Even with their subsidised rent, it’s hardly surprising that so many of these tenants are struggling to keep up when the cost of food, petrol and other essentials are all going through the roof.

“It’s devastating to think about parents having to make a call between paying the rent, or feeding their children.

“Most of these people are hardworking Kiwis who are doing their best to provide for their families, but they’re being crushed by the immense weight of the cost of living crisis.

“New Zealanders are paying the price for Labour’s economic mismanagement, which has worsened the cost of living crisis. It’s causing real hurt for Kiwi families, but the Government still hasn’t presented a proper economic plan.

“New Zealand deserves a government that can deliver a strong economy so that people can get ahead again. The first step is to tackle inflation and get the cost of living under control.

“National has a plan to fight inflation – unblock bottlenecks, reduce costs on business, bring discipline to Government spending, prudent tax reduction and focus the Reserve Bank solely on an anti-inflation mandate.”