10,037 additional public homes achieved under Labour Government

“Under National there were so many sell-offs of public housing that National left office with 1,500 fewer state homes than it began with.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Wellington | Updated: 02-08-2022 10:12 IST | Created: 02-08-2022 10:12 IST
10,037 additional public homes achieved under Labour Government
“The investment in public housing will continue as a priority of this Government, because we know how crucial it is for the health, security and stability of individuals and whanau who need it,” Megan Woods said. Image Credit: Wikipedia
  • Country:
  • New Zealand

A major milestone of 10,037 additional public homes has been achieved since Labour came into office, Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods confirmed today.

“It’s extremely satisfying and a testament to our commitment to providing a safety net for people who need public housing, that we have delivered these warm, dry homes after public housing was decimated under the previous National government,” Megan Woods said.

“Under National there were so many sell-offs of public housing that National left office with 1,500 fewer state homes than it began with.

“National failed to invest in new public housing and instead bled $576 million out of the public housing agency in dividends. What’s more is that National failed to maintain the housing it did retain, and that deferred maintenance for pre-1970s housing is now costing tens of millions of dollars per year.  

“This Government has rebuilt the state’s ability to grow and provide public housing with the biggest state house building programme since the 1970s. If National had built public housing at the same rate we are, there would be nearly 23,000 new state houses, accounting for 94% of those on the current waiting list. 

“We firmly believe the state has a role in providing a safety net to people who need public housing. These ten thousand additional homes mean thousands of families and individuals have moved into warm, dry homes across the country from Northland to Invercargill.

“It’s not only those living in public housing that benefits from this pipeline of activity; regional economies and the construction sector is boosted with jobs and critical infrastructure investment, all helping to secure New Zealand’s economy for future generations.

We’ve seen significant investment in provincial New Zealand as well as in Auckland, Wellington, and Canterbury. For example, in the Waikato region we have added 681 more public homes.

“The investment in public housing will continue as a priority of this Government because we know how crucial it is for the health, security and stability of individuals and whanau who need it,” Megan Woods said.

(With Inputs from New Zealand Government Press Release)

Give Feedback