John Key is doing his best to keep poor people from coming to his electorate. Whilst it’s not like he visits there often himself, he’s still aiming to keep poor people committing the “economic vandalism” of living in a nice suburb – where apparently only the rich should reside.
As such, having stopped any State Housing in his electorate shortly after coming to office – Labour had planned 500 state houses in the 3000 house Hobsonville Point development – he’s now coming after the middle-income earners.
He’s scrapping the Gateway project that was originally planned to offer 500 low-cost houses at Hobsonville Point.
The project offered home loans for the currently Government-owned land, so that those who couldn’t afford a bank loan could still buy. Buyers would initially only pay off the house part of the mortgage, deferring paying for the land for up to 15 years. $230,000 mortgages could become somewhat more affordable for those not on big bucks.
But with only 17 Gateway project houses sold National have scrapped the project, meaning hundreds of lower income Aucklanders have had just about their only opportunity at home-ownership dashed. Auckland’s home-ownership rate – now in the mid-60%s – is at its lowest ever level. Social mobility? Egalitarianism? That’s for other countries.
Auckland Council plans to protest to the government: if they can’t provide affordable housing Auckland Council doesn’t know who will. And with fewer than half the 20,000 houses needed each year to cope with Auckland’s booming population being built, it seems only the wealthy can look forward to the New Zealand dream in our biggest city.
As usual no ministers were available to go on Morning Report this morning, as the news wasn’t positive.
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