Back in 2008 when John Key was seeking power National’s policy mix was very middle of the road. They tried to look like Labour lite but also offering a tax cut.
The policy worked and it took the country a while to realise that they had been sold a pup.
Which is why National’s current approach is such a surprise to me. Because they are clearly more concerned with appealing to their overly wealthy base. As their announcement of their tenancy policy this week showed.
But what was surprising was the framing National chose to apply to the policy.
In a speech to the Property Council Residential Development Summit Comrade Chris Bishop came up with some outstandingly strange takes and over the top rhetoric.
He said that the Government was engaged in “a war on landlords by removing interest as a legitimate expense for rental property owners and extending the bright-line test to 10 years”.
He subsequently made these questionable claims:
These claims were comprehensively rebuked in this clip:
And if you need proof:
In December 2017 lodged bonds totalled 358,767. The latest data for February 2023 suggests that lodged bonds are now 398,067 which is an 11% increase. And in August last year the Government celebrated the construction of over 10,000 new state houses in its term.
As explained by Clint Smith the statistics relating to the level of rent increases is rather dodgy to put it mildly.
And the claim that allowing tenants to be evicted more easily is a pro tenant move is such a ridiculous thing to say that I am astounded that Bishop would say it once, let alone repeat it. It is the sort of thing that a landlord would think, and maybe this is why he said it.
The bright line test extension is clearly having an effect. Prices have been dropping for 15 months now.
This particular announcement highlights two matters.
Firstly National will pander to its base this election. It looks like Act’s strong polling has pulled National to the right in a defensive move.
Secondly National will say any thing no matter how ridiculous in an attempt to dominate the airwaves.
Hopefully the media will note how easily disproven and ridiculous and factually incorrect their utterances are.
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