Left hand and right at odds over State house sell-off

As state housing tenants around the country become ever more vocal about the poor treatment they are receiving from the Government, it appears Housing NZ and Housing Minister, Phil Heatley, are not singing from the same songbook, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Annette King says.

“This week has seen a groundswell of action from tenants being moved out of homes for various reasons, adding to an already lengthy waiting list.

“It is interesting then that the corporation’s general manager, Sean Bignell, and Mr Heatley seem to be at odds regarding the number of homes Housing NZ is selling off to the private sector as part of its renewal and refurbishment plan.

“Mr Bignell believes it is just ‘a couple of hundred’. However answers from Mr Heatley to written questions tell quite a different story.

“They show that since National came to Government in 2008 nearly a thousand houses have been either flicked off, or ‘disposed’ of.”

“And that doesn’t include the state houses that have been demolished since July 2009, excluding Christchurch homes destroyed in the big earthquake.

“Aside from tenants being moved out for sale reasons, the number being evicted because their homes are deemed earthquake risks continues to grow as well.  They also need to be rehoused.

“The pressure on state and social housing is at tipping point. If Mr Heatley and Housing NZ can’t agree on what property is, and what isn’t, being sold, then there’s little hope of the crisis being resolved any time soon,” said Annette King.