Posts Tagged ‘housing’

We can’t say we weren’t warned

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, August 1st, 2016 - 190 comments

When the Auckland housing bubble bursts a lot of people are going to lose a lot of money. They won’t be able to say they weren’t warned.

The Ray White – China deal

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, July 30th, 2016 - 87 comments

Real Estate agent Ray White has formed a partnership with China’s Lianjia to market NZ houses to about 260 million Chinese buyers. They say it’s the government’s problem – and they’re right.

Unitary Plan – affordability requirements removed

Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, July 28th, 2016 - 63 comments

What are the Nats doing removing a proposed requirement for affordable housing – exactly the housing that Auckland desperately needs!?

The Greens take a stand on the housing bubble

Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, July 27th, 2016 - 264 comments

“I want to be very clear that we are talking about a responsible, carefully managed reduction in house prices over a period of time like 10 to 15 years.” 

Metiria Turei

Metiria speaks the unspeakable – house prices should fall

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, July 27th, 2016 - 135 comments

Not often you’ll catch Metiria Turei and Don Brash in agreement!

Who could build social housing?

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 am, July 25th, 2016 - 226 comments

The plan to have the private sector build social housing appears to be a flop. We need a large, well resourced organisation to take on the task of building these desperately needed houses. Wherever will we find one?

Auckland without workers

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, July 19th, 2016 - 73 comments

The unaffordability of Auckland housing is now seriously impacting even moderately well paid professions. As these trends continue, how is Auckland going to cope without without workers?

O’Sullivan and Watkins – warnings to the Nats

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, July 18th, 2016 - 196 comments

Even National’s fans are worried for them these days. The “third termitis” meme is becoming well established.

Nats abandon social housing target

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, July 15th, 2016 - 22 comments

As part of their “comprehensive” response to the housing crisis, the Nats are backing off their promise to increase the number of social housing places. Great news for those families sleeping in cars tonight.

Labour’s housing crisis interactive

Written By: - Date published: 5:53 pm, July 14th, 2016 - 49 comments

Go to Labour’s Housing Map interactive and enter your address to get information on housing trends in your area.

Do you pray to take on crushing debt for the rest of your life?

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 13th, 2016 - 89 comments

housing-crisis-silly-questionPathetic tinkering with loan limits does nothing realistic for first home buyers, but it does add more fuel to the debt fire. We need to actually build some affordable houses. If only there was a party that would do that…

Nats on HNZ dividend – Yes! No! Maybe!

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 12th, 2016 - 62 comments

That’s three positions in 2 days. Stay tuned to see what these headless chooks come up with tomorrow!

A tale of two housing policies – Steven Joyce writing National’s on Twitter

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 11th, 2016 - 106 comments

In some kind of panic over Labour’s housing policy package, Steven Joyce was writing Nat policy on Twitter yesterday. The promise to forego 2 years of HNZ dividend appears to have been made up on the fly.

Reserve Bank gives Key the fingers on housing crisis

Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, July 8th, 2016 - 14 comments

In The Herald Liam Dann asks – Did the Reserve Bank just give two fingers to the Prime Minister?. That would be a “yes”.

Housing bubble inflating faster – Key’s panic now obvious

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 6th, 2016 - 157 comments

The housing bubble is inflating faster than ever, and Key is visibly panicking. His political problem is insoluble and his electoral problem is about to get worse.

Billion dollar boondoggle

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, July 3rd, 2016 - 112 comments

In an effort to be seen to be doing something about a housing crisis that they say doesn’t exist, the Nats have offered to lend councils $1 Billion that they can already borrow. Homeless families will also be offered a free deckchair on the Titanic to re-arrange as they please.

Good morning to the “Park up for homes” folks

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 am, June 17th, 2016 - 18 comments

A very sincere good morning to the “Park up for homes” folks who have just spent the night in their cars, protesting in support of the homeless.

Housing policy omnishambles rolls on

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, June 16th, 2016 - 64 comments

The government that will pay you $5000 to leave Auckland and $3000 to move to Auckland has been selling state houses so recklessly that it is now considering building temporary ones. Headless chickens make more sense.

The ghost house epidemic and the invisible hand

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, June 13th, 2016 - 54 comments

Last year there were officially 22,000 unoccupied properties in Auckland. This year 33,000 are officially classified as empty. “Auckland’s 6.6 per cent vacancy rate is higher than either Sydney (5.2 per cent) or Melbourne (4.8 per cent), where there has been an uproar over “ghost houses” deliberately left empty by speculators trading on a soaring market”. This is madness.

Banks act on housing affordability crisis (while National sits on its hands)

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, June 10th, 2016 - 144 comments

Despite Key’s barnstorming 2007 speech on the housing affordability crisis, National these days prefer to deny that it exists. Apparently fed up with waiting for the government to take action, banks are moving to reduce their risk and limit foreign buyers.

National’s lies, damn lies and statistics on housing

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, June 9th, 2016 - 43 comments

The housing crisis is not going away, and National needs to offer something better than lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Yet another indicator of the homeless crisis

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, June 8th, 2016 - 22 comments

The homeless population of central Auckland has more than doubled in the last 3 years. That’s quite a legacy John Key. Meanwhile Te Puea Marae is still putting the government to shame, you can donate here.

Has NZ hit this milestone too?

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, June 6th, 2016 - 30 comments

For the first time in 130 years, more young adults (18 – 34) in America live with their parents than with a partner. How long before we pass the same milestone – or have we done so already?

Let them eat cake

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, June 4th, 2016 - 50 comments

key homeless don't want help

Help Te Puea Marae help the homeless

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, June 3rd, 2016 - 19 comments

The Marae providing practical support to the homeless in Auckland needs our help. You can donate at the Givealittle page here. It is shameful that this is needed in NZ, but there it is, this is what the Brighter Future looks like.

Why not just – build some damn houses?

Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, June 2nd, 2016 - 91 comments

Today the Nats released a National Policy Statment (NPS) on housing. It formalises their recent strategy of incorrectly blaming local councils – and it doesn’t build anything.

Key’s housing plan “moronic”

Written By: - Date published: 2:51 pm, June 1st, 2016 - 25 comments

It isn’t often that you here such a blunt assessment of Nat policy. It’s moronic because it isn’t a housing policy at all, it’s a blame deflecting plan.

Labour builds the houses (yet another Key lie)

Written By: - Date published: 2:49 pm, May 31st, 2016 - 19 comments

Good work fact-checking by Geoff Simmons at the Morgan Foundation. Contrary to Key’s lie, Labour builds more houses than National.

Watkin on the Nats’ housing blame game

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, May 30th, 2016 - 57 comments

Tim Watkin: “What’s clear is that National, as is their well worn tactic, will do its best to ensure the blame gets shared around”.

Housing should not depend on charity – but this is an emergency

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 30th, 2016 - 45 comments

Bravo to Te Puea Marae and their supporters – you are doing what needs to be done – and you are putting the government to shame.

Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, May 28th, 2016 - 172 comments

It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?

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