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Before the elections, the main parties in Parliament have revealed how they plan to deal with the housing crisis.
Labor, National, ACT, NZ First and the Green Party expect to be voted back into Parliament in the October 17 elections and housing could be a key policy for that.
Despite the COVID-19 recession, house prices have continued to rise, with median home prices in Auckland exceeding $ 1 million in August, a 5.4 percent year-on-year increase.
Rents continue to rise as well, and many renters face higher bills as the rent increase freeze ends.
The Resource Management Act (RMA) is a big focus for the holidays this year and most promise to change it in some way to allow for more home construction.
Here are the housing policies for all parties in Parliament.
Work
Labor says its policy is a five-point plan to support new housing during the economic uncertainty of COVID-19.
The party’s website says healthy homes, children and hearts are at the center of its policies, which are designed to reduce New Zealand’s rheumatic fever rate.
If reelected, Labor has promised to remove planning barriers to residential construction by replacing the RMA.
The party also promised to expand the Healthy Homes Initiative to cover basic items like heaters, curtains, bedding, and floor coverings.
It will also strengthen the healthy home enforcement and compliance efforts by Tenancy Services and introduce a national registry to actively track and treat patients with rheumatic fever.
If the re-elected Labor Party promises:
- Support construction through the Residential Development Response Fund
- Deliver 18,000 additional public and transitional housing by 2024
- Continue to support first-time home buyers with grants and loans for first-time homes, progressive homeownership, and KiwiBuild
- Work with industry to improve productivity through the Construction Sector Agreement
- Eliminate planning barriers for residential construction, including replacing the (RMA) to reduce cost and complexity.
- Regulate property managers to protect homeowners and tenants, and continue progressive home ownership scheme.
You can find more details about Labor’s home plan here.
National
National’s housing policy also focuses on replacing the RMA with new legislation that allows more homes to be built faster.
“Home ownership is out of reach for many. There is now consensus among politicians and experts that New Zealand planning rules are the main culprits,” says National’s website.
“The long-term solution to getting more houses built is to repeal the RMA, replacing it with an Environmental Standards Act and a Planning and Development Act.
In addition to eliminating the RMA, National has also promised a rent-to-own or shared equity plan for social housing tenants.
