Government could fill gap on housing tender

“In the end, the Government needs to provide social housing,” Key said.

“If we can’t get them in one way, we’ll get them in another. There are a variety of other ways that we can fill that through Housing NZ.”

Housing NZ said last week that it would spend $2 billion to build and buy 4800 houses over the next three years, including 3200 in Auckland — 1300 this financial year, 1500 in the next year and about 2000 in 2018-19.

It has proposed a series of projects in existing state housing blocks that have been designated special housing areas under the Auckland Housing Accord, but progress has been slow — possibly partly because the Government has been reviewing the agency’s future role given a policy announced last year to sell 1000 to 2000 state houses a year to the community sector.

Read more in this New Zealand Herald article here.

Here’s CHA’s press release in response to the Prime Ministers statement: Affordable housing press release July 27.pdf

Scott Figenshow, CEO for Community House Aotearoa, says the sector was pleased that the Prime Minister John Key has said that the Government needs to provide social housing. However, his comments that there are a variety of ways that could be achieved through Housing New Zealand has raised concerns.

“It’s too early to gloss over the community housing sector by reaching the view that you can only fill social housing places through Housing New Zealand,” says Scott Figenshow.

“A principal reason why community housing providers are only delivering a small number of homes is the lack of capital. IRRS contracts alone aren’t enough and Government and officials know this.“