Labour's housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says that one year on from the announcing of the Auckland Housing Accord "not one house has been built" in the special housing areas and National's "flagship" housing policy is now looking "decidedly shaky".
"Last year [Housing Minister] Nick Smith promised 39,000 homes over three years with 9000 in the first year. But not one house has yet been built, despite a lack of ambition in the target.
"...All he has is lines on maps," Twyford said. (See here for housing accord articles.)
"And now Nick Smith is trying to row back even from that target by saying it ‘will be a bit of a stretch’.
Twyford said that while National "trumpets" the accord as its solution to Auckland’s housing woes, a closer look at the numbers shows it lacks ambition.
"It sets a target of 9000 consents in year one, but the market produced more than that in the previous year. On the Minister’s own numbers, the Special Housing Areas will only deliver 5850 consents over three years, when Auckland needs 39,000.
"National constantly tries to claim it is fixing the housing crisis by building houses. All they are doing is issuing consents. Aucklanders trying to buy a first home can’shaky live in a consent," Twyford said.
"The Auckland accord is National’s flagship housing policy. It is pretty much all they’ve got. And now it is looking decidedly shaky.
"Nick Smith needs to get some houses built. He is doing nothing to dampen down the demand side of the housing crisis and he’s all talk on the supply side. Meanwhile house prices keep rising and first home buyers are shut out of the market.
"The housing accord lasts only three years. It’s one year down with two to go and he is 9000 homes behind. Nick Smith needs to hurry up. He may have to start building them himself.
"Only Labour can fix the housing crisis. A Labour-led government will manage migration at stable levels, reform monetary policy to reduce interest rates, curb rising house prices by clamping down on overseas speculators and taxing capital gains, and build 100,000 affordable houses," Twyford said.
20 Comments
Oh for goodness sake , has Twyford ever tried to get consent to build anything, let alone a single house , in Auckland ?
Or even subdivide a section into two ?
The road is full of landmines , detours and hurles
There is a plethora of rules, and shocking list of expenses , a Resource Managment Act designed to be vague and earn lawyers and Town Planning professionalsd a tidy sum , then it has on top , a thick layer of bureauctratic intransigence , an element of incomptence and a whole host of other unspecified obstacles
Ah! There he is! The National Party blogging plant, Boatman... First up as usual, ranting about how National is awesome and it's everyone elses fault and if only that poor John Key could just get a break, all would be sweetness and light!
Seriously though mate, John Key can at a whim change all manner of legislation and has done so... surely if the Nats really cared, I mean REALLY cared, they could out of hand deal a death blow to any RMA or other such local legislation that slows development? Clearly it just doesn't suit, so they'll pee and moan (theatrically of course) and nada will get done...
Just lets get someting straight , I have nothing whatsoever to do with the National Party .
Interest .co.nz know who I am from my account logon details , and if anyone googled my name , would realise that I am a partner in a professional practice in Auckland, and have no political affliations .
In the interests of fairness and a balanced perspective , I would expect, and trust, Interest.co.nz to keep politicians from being allowed on this site as commentators
I do have strong political views, probably a variation of Libertarianism , and having spent a large portion of my woking life either working or under secondment in left leaning and sometimes Marxist dysfunctional Third world countries, I have no tolerance for this lefty nanny state nonsense we see coming from Labour and the Greens .
Communism , socialism and left wing ideologies have noble ideals , but destroyed the human sprirt for too much of the past 100 years because these ideals require a totoalitarian state to be implementated and enforced .
Labour and the Greens all want us to be poor , helpless and dependant on the state (and riding to work on the bus )
And , I happen to know that most Kiwis dont want any of this , or a government that pokes its nose into your everyday affairs ,
In effect, if JK wants new legislation and he holds the disapline of his MPs, then yes he can pass anything he wants. Ive seen it said before that in effect a UK and NZ primeminister can wield for more personal power without checks and balances than the US President.
regards
You should read this article on Interest:
http://www.interest.co.nz/property/70186/bnz-chief-economist-says-targe…
... when you're in political opposition , you can pretty much spout any nonsense you want to ....
When you're actually in government , then the rubber has to hit the road .... lest it hit your arse at the next election ...
100 000 houses at $ 300 000 a pop ? .... dang , let's promise them 300 000 at $ 100 000 apiece ... the plebs will vote for that .... feck it , why stop at interest-free student loans , let's give them interest-free mortgages , and really stick it to those Aussie banks !!!.... man , we're on a roll now .... top up your glass with a little more chardonnay , Phil ?
Yes it’s painfully slow David.
No affordable non lease hold 3 bed apartments of 100m2 (incl deck) have been built in the high employment areas, i.e. Auckland CBD fringe areas. In order to take pressure of transportation, infrastructure and debt cost.
Why are the Nat’s dragging their heels on this crises. Is it because they don't want to be labelled the ones who caused a house price correction. Even if it is at the cost of socioty and economy (the greater good old boy:)
Still curious as to how Labour ministers can keep a straight face when lecturing us all on how they're gonna control immigration ....
... it was their current temporary leader , the right honourable David Cunliffe , who as minister for immigration under Helen Clark , let a NZ record 51 600 immigrants arrive in one single year ...
That was his idea of " control " ?
We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.
Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.