Housing New Zealand “not the only player” says Minister of Social Housing

HOUSING NZ ‘NOT THE ONLY PLAYER’

Speaking before Housing NZ revealed its error, Social Housing Minister Amy Adams defended the agency’s efforts, saying it was “only one part of our social housing pipeline”.

“Housing NZ are no longer the only player in this space – actually it’s quite right and part of our strategy that we have a larger number of community housing providers coming into the market in an increasing number.”

Community housing providers were already contracted to provide an extra 857 properties in Auckland over the next three years, Adams said.

While Housing NZ had to build new properties to account for extra demand, she said it also had to ensure current state houses were “up to scratch”.

“I would argue, and I’ve certainly heard our opponents argue, that it’s equally important that we’re making sure our current stock is warm, is dry, is modern, is fit for purpose, is easily accessible for people with disabilities and the like, is safe for children to play in.”

The Ministry of Social Development had launched a purchasing strategy to put an extra 6500 houses into the market across New Zealand over the next three-and-a-half years, Adams said.

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