Sale of Key’s old house a powerful symbol

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, November 25th, 2016 - 11 comments
Categories: bill english, housing, national, useless - Tags: , , , , ,

Undeterred by the failure of their state house selloff plans in Invercargill and Horowhenua, the Nats are trying to push ahead with a sale in Christchurch –
Prime Minister John Key’s childhood state house up for sale as Government offers 2500 properties to NGOs

Housing New Zealand is selling off state houses in Christchurch partly because it is increasingly focused on Auckland’s housing shortage, Bill English says.

Because there is no need for state housing in quake-ravaged Christchurch, right!

But the government “had not done a good job” of looking after its housing stock, he said.

“Taxpayers own one in every 16 houses in New Zealand, and when you drive around you can tell which ones are ours.”

English is admitting that his government hasn’t done a good job – that’s refreshing. And you don’t usually see Nat strategy so clearly stated either – under-fund a service, claim it’s broken, privatise it. By design.

The state house in which Prime Minister John Key grew up in is among the HNZ properties being sold.

A powerful symbol of the way this government likes pulling up the ladder that they used behind them.

See the Public Service Association – Christchurch social housing sell-off “heartless” – PSA

11 comments on “Sale of Key’s old house a powerful symbol ”

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  1. Rae 1
    25 November 2016 at 8:20 am

    The government has done a poor job, because that is precisely what it intended to do, took dividends instead of spending money on maintenance. Of course there is method in the madness, now it is run down and the government appears to be doing a big mea culpa, they think people will swallow the idea of outsourcing our social responsibilities.
    Yeah, well, yeah, guess it fits the ideology.

  2. Jenny Kirk 2
    25 November 2016 at 8:35 am

    Love the analogy.

    “The state house in which Prime Minister John Key grew up in is among the HNZ properties being sold. “A powerful symbol of the way this government likes pulling up the ladder that they used behind them.”

    Yes – they made free use of something the state gave them, and then they took it away from others. Despicable behaviour.

  3. The Chairman 3
    25 November 2016 at 9:30 am

    “Under-fund a service, claim it’s broken, privatise it. By design.”

    Dead right!

    We see it time and time again.

  4. Cinny 4
    25 November 2016 at 11:12 am

    If one doesn’t treat ones tenants like dirt, the tenants will generally look after ones property. Least that’s my experience and it doesn’t take much. Any property, private or housing corp etc.

    If there is something wrong with the property fix it.

    Don’t rent out any property that you wouldn’t live in yourself.

    Give the tenants praise and a box of chocolates or gift at christmas, for long term leasers rather than tenanters we often credit them a weeks rent at christmas

    If you are going to do any work to the property, give them loads of notice, as well ask them if any work needs doing, tenants often don’t approach landlords until it’s too later, leading to problems spreading.

    Ask them their opinion of the property, they live in it, some may have some very helpful suggestions to make it more livable since they reside there. And if a property is very livable the tenants will stay there for longer.

    Doesn’t take a fucken genius.
    Whose been looking after the housing again and don’t blame it on the housing corp? Someone is responsible

    We so need a change of government.

    Dang, who doesn’t look after their assets, even if you are going to flick them off you look after them so you can get top dollar when you do sell. Unless the only profit you are relying on is the profit generated from a soon to crash overpriced real estate market.

  5. Bob 5
    25 November 2016 at 11:41 am

    “Taxpayers own one in every 16 houses in New Zealand, and when you drive around you can tell which ones are ours.”
    This is a failure in itself, the Greens new housing policy would fix this the right way. The tenants pay for the houses at a rate they can afford and the houses become theirs. That way the tenants obtain a form of financial and psychological security and would likely take more pride in the property as it is their own, rather than letting them get run down as they are the Governments responsibility.

  6. tc 6
    25 November 2016 at 12:02 pm

    They are going all out now and will ensure whoever gets in next will be in crises management mode for years over housing, health, education, poverty etc

    Leaving the rentiers a free run at it having locked them into lucrative deals funded by the taxpayer.

  7. UncookedSelachimorpha 7
    25 November 2016 at 12:18 pm

    John Key – supported by the community when he needed it, but now yanking up the ladder for others as quick as he can.

  8. Greg 8
    25 November 2016 at 12:26 pm

    41 thousand homeless a government that has suck out money as fast as they could
    A housing market so expensive the country is broken the incoming government fingers crossed has a massive job ahead just to repair the damage I think the first term will be spent undoing nationals mess the damage may be permanent I hope not.natioal never leaves a legacy always rubble why anyone votes for them is beyond me

    • Red 8.1
      25 November 2016 at 5:29 pm

      “Why any one voted for them is beyond me” is indicative of left malaise And hence why national will win a fourth term

  9. JustMe 9
    26 November 2016 at 2:43 pm

    I live in Auckland and have done for well over 50 years. The comment by Bill English of: “Housing New Zealand is selling off state houses in Christchurch partly because it is increasingly focused on Auckland’s housing shortage” really is so stupid I do wonder as to what the guy(English)was on when he made such a statement.
    One doesn’t take from one area(yet this does seem to be the track record of the Key government)to give to another.
    Christchurch and Canterbury residents have been to Hell and back. Six years on since the initial 4th September 2010 quake and the following destructive and deadly quake of February 22nd 2011 many residents in parts of Christchurch and Canterbury are still trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and homes.
    Only early this year John Key was on the tv saying there is no housing crisis in Auckland. Here we are i.e 26th November 2016 and Bill English seems to be admitting there is a problem in Auckland. But the problem isn’t only in Auckland. It’s all around NZ.
    Key and co have this mis-guided belief that Auckland is the centre of the Universe and priority MUST ALWAYS be to Auckland. Perhaps the reason Key and co are obsessed with Auckland is because it holds the biggest population and potential votes is what the Key government is obsessed with. That and of course Skycity who probably donate heavily to the NZ National Party in return for NZ taxpayers dollars for projects like a ‘Convention Centre’. Lets also face it but Auckland probably also has the biggest Asian population and one year out of the next election Key and co want to court the Asian population for yet again votes.
    Since they entered into government in 2008 I am of the firm belief there were never any policies in place by John Key. And since then whatever ‘policies’ or ‘actions’ they have embarked upon have been hit and miss.
    But then whenever there is an election at stake I am sure we will hear of more promises made by a desparate PM and his goverment. If only they did the adult thing and admitted they have been failures when it came to dealing with situations then perhaps we NZers might figure out they are only human. But their track record to date of denying and blaming shows they are not worthy of being in government any longer than after the next election.
    They will reap what they have sowed and they must live with their actions and inactions for the rest of their days.

  10. Richard McGrath 10
    27 November 2016 at 1:08 am

    It is nothing short of disgraceful that the current government should still own any state houses after eight years in power. Hence their monicker ‘Labour-lite’. The first house I owned was an ex state house in Naenae which my wife and I worked to improve and sold for a reasonable profit 3 years later. They are well built and good ‘doer-uppers’. Perhaps David Cunliffe should think about buying one!