Foresight

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, March 20th, 2012 - 16 comments
Categories: disaster - Tags: ,

There’s no rental properties in Christchurch. Impossible for builders to move there and for families to move while their houses are being repaired.

Who warned of a mass housing shortage a year ago and called for action?

What did the government provide? A few over-priced caravans and a handful of temporary houses far short of the 10,000 promised.

16 comments on “Foresight ”

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  1. robertglennie@yahoo.co.nz 1
    20 March 2012 at 11:35 am

    Gerry Brownlee was in The Press this morning, front page, saying that market forces should determine what happens to the daylight rent robbery that landlords are committing. In other words he doesn’t care for the average person in Struggle Street. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/christchurch-rental-crisis-best-left-market-govt-4785067

    • Colonial Viper 1.1
      20 March 2012 at 11:59 am

      It’s really good for small scale investment property owners like myself though. You can always count on Gerry to come through for the team.

      • Lanthanide 1.1.1
        20 March 2012 at 12:34 pm

        Yes, this is helping me as well. I’m now in a position of owning (well, it’s complicated) a 5 bedroom house that is empty. Was previously planning on handing it to a property management company but after just coming back from a meeting with a valuer I’m wondering if I should shop it around a bit – might find a large construction company that wants to permanently lease it out for temporary builders etc.

        • vto 1.1.1.1
          20 March 2012 at 12:38 pm

          Make sure you don’t rely on them for cleaning or gardening.

          • NickS 1.1.1.1.1
            20 March 2012 at 2:01 pm

            Though you’ll end up with a small fortune in beer cans 😛

            Also the building companies should look at setting up a website for people to offer board or rental options for their guys.

            Which is something WINZ should also do, given the number of beneficiaries and low income people in desperate need of housing.

            • bbfloyd 1.1.1.1.1.1
              20 March 2012 at 3:28 pm

              in my experience, it has been the company that has been responsible for providing accommodation, which more often than not, means building it from scratch….. this is not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination…… is this not being done in christchurch?

              if it isn’t, one can only assume the project is being run by rank amateurs… it has generally proven cost effective to construct rather than rent, especially given the scope of work….

              difficulties housing workers for the (when it finally starts properly) rebuild should never have been allowed to become another pressure point in relation to the (avoidable) housing shortage….

              the fact that it can, and has points to both an oversight on the part of brownlee’s travelling circus, and the management company’s(successful) attempts to avoid fulfilling it’s obligations to it’s workforce…….

              incompetence ……corruption……the only two words that fit…

              • Draco T Bastard …
                20 March 2012 at 4:02 pm

                if it isn’t, one can only assume the project is being run by rank amateurs…

                This is what happens when you leave it to the market and the people who end up in charge of it are only there to enrich themselves. They’re only there to clip the ticket for as much as they can.

  2. prism 2
    20 March 2012 at 12:08 pm

    Intelligent use of government planning and action for short-term housing which would also keep a lid on prices for land and permanent housing? Fat chance!

  3. vto 3
    20 March 2012 at 12:21 pm

    Who is going to go to the effort to build rental housing for what is a short term flash in the pan demand? I reckon nobody very many.

    And what is government for if not help out its people when needed?

    Market solution – pffftt!

    • Colonial Viper 3.1
      20 March 2012 at 12:27 pm

      Who is going to go to the effort to build rental housing for what is a short term flash in the pan demand? I reckon nobody very many.

      I’m sure China will supply us with prefabs. Good outfit that China, reduces the need for employing our own tradespeople and suppliers.

      • vto 3.1.1
        20 March 2012 at 12:30 pm

        That may be very well mr viper, but the return will still not stack up. Why pay for prefabs or permanent housing if the demand for it is going to dry up in 2-4 years? What happens to them then? This is the nub imo.

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1
          20 March 2012 at 12:37 pm

          You’re thinking 2-4 years out? By then it will be Labour’s problem, you’re being way too foresighted about this! You’ll never make a good neoliberal Nat at this rate.

  4. NickS 4
    20 March 2012 at 2:10 pm

    So why exactly did we give CERA and Brownlee so much power again, if not to prevent shit like this happening?…

    And if this isn’t sorted the rebuild will stall due to lack of labour, and will drag the Christchurch economy down with it, with capital flight and major business moving out of Christchurch, possibly for the longterm.

    Then there’s the fucking around with insurance, which nicely highlights the major failure of private insurance, in that it can stall major natural disaster recovery efforts via failure to payout in a timely manner and failing to provide reinsurance and new cover so loans for rebuilding can go ahead swiftly.

  5. Tombstone 5
    20 March 2012 at 4:43 pm

    Bunch of useless bastards should be booted out of power in light of the arrogant way in which they have treated people down here. Fuck their market bullshit! People are bloody desperate and Key is doing sweet fuck all to remedy the situation. As for Brownlee – don’t get me started. The arrogant prick! Ps – excuse my French but as a Cantabrian I’m seriously pissed right now with these bureaucrats and their incompetent management of the recovery. It’s a joke.