January 29, 2015
Housing WOF could be price of support
The Maori Party wants a warrant of fitness for social housing to be part of the overhaul of social housing policy.
Co-leader Marama Fox says Prime Minister John Key’s announcement yesterday that his Government would sell off up to 8000 houses over the next three years to community housing providers, was a positive sign that National is at least acknowledging there is a housing crisis.
But she says a Maori Party-driven pilot last year found 90 percent of Housing New Zealand homes would fail a warrant of fitness.
She says the houses should be brought up to that standard before they are sold, and that standard maintained.
"By way of retaining accountability with the government to provide social housing of a good standard and a good quality for the most vulnerable families in our community, most of which will be Maori and Pasifika whanau, then we think a warrant of fitness on all social housing should be a minimum requirment, mandatory for all social housing at least. We think it also should be mandatory for all rental properties," Ms Fox says.
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