Where is Paula?

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 11th, 2016 - 120 comments
Categories: housing, journalism, Media, national, newspapers, paula bennett, radio, same old national - Tags: , ,

John Key Paula Bennett

She is the Minister of Social Housing, an associate Minister of Finance, a potential replacement for John Key and weirdly the Minister for Open Government. But she is nowhere to be seen and refuses to be interviewed. Where is Paula?

She came to Auckland and met with the head of Te Puea Marae which is doing what the Government should be doing, offering sanctuary and support to our homelessness. But she refused to visit the Marae. Why Paula?

The Nation wanted to interview her and ask her what she was doing about the homelessness crisis. But she declined. Why was that Paula?

She fed John Key the “flying squad” of MSD officials helping the Salvation Army and seeking to help people living in cars line. But they were more of a desk bound group of public servants who did not venture out into the night. Why did you say that Paula?

John Campbell wanted to talk to her about the Government deal with Te Puea Marae.  But she was secretive about it. How come?

And Te Puea Marae is doing what the Government ought to be doing. What are you doing about the housing crisis Paula?

120 comments on “Where is Paula? ”

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  1. Foreign waka 1
    11 June 2016 at 8:11 am

    Just wondering where the churches are that each year suck billions from the poor unsuspecting people who are now left behind. Time to give some back!

    • Ad 1.1
      11 June 2016 at 8:25 am

      Any particular churches you had on mind, or is that just an all-encompassing bigotry you have there?

      • Foreign waka 1.1.1
        11 June 2016 at 10:34 pm

        Making assumptions, are we? I am often a target of that bigotry you mention and not really fazed by your rhetoric.
        “Churches”, there are as many with their interpretations of faith as there are opinions about it, do have for the most part enough resources. However, I had more the likes of Mr Tamaki in mind with my comment. Also those churches whose congregations of mostly pacific people seem to provide “donations” of cash and deed even if the people themselves have not much to give.
        A “church” that allows its congregation to be left hungry whilst taking gladly is no church in my mind. To sidetrack this issue, impacting profoundly on the community that needs support, this I would call bigotry.
        Nonetheless, either of these examples preempts the governments duty to provide enough resourcing for those who are in need. I am disgusted with the unbelievable ruthlessness with which this current approach is being taken. And is should not come as a surprise that those mostly affected are the usual suspects, children, women, elderly and the sick.
        Yes, Mr Tamaki and whatever other names swirl around, give back to the community. Its time to show the true colors.

        • adam 1.1.1.1
          12 June 2016 at 9:39 am

          When you use such a broad brush Foreign waka, I applauded Ad and his comments.

          Do you know the Catholic church and the Presbyterian church are running on the smell of an oily rag? That they are putting ever spear cent into social services? Each organisations food banks fall empty every week, and they have borrowed money to keep them stocked? Neither of which are talking about it because they want to keep having the ear of the government. You know separation of church and state, but a church who still has a voice. That said, I’ve heard those meetings are not going so well. It seems ideology is winning out.

          Not 100% sure about the other churches, but most are doing a lot.

          It’s comments like your Foreign waka that turn Christian voters off the left. If you had framed it well in the first place or indeed took the time to have a look at what is happen on the ground…

      • cameron scott 1.1.2
        12 June 2016 at 5:37 pm

        any and every damn church gettin a tax free handout. religion the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on humans

    • Sabine 1.2
      11 June 2016 at 10:28 am

      well there is a church were i live, and they – the church – has had a commercial kitchen installed – at their cost – to be able to keep up with the demand of people needing food.

      Frankly, the homeless issue is not the churches problems, they did not cause it. And for what it is worth they are funded by their congregations, not the government either.

      • Adrian 1.2.1
        11 June 2016 at 12:30 pm

        I thought they had a very favorable tax regime for being charities…like Sanitarium.

        • Sabine 1.2.1.1
          11 June 2016 at 2:55 pm

          Sanitarium is Jehovas Witnesses. Not something i would call a ‘church’.

          More a cult, and a live style. A church is the fixed building in your neighbourhood that people go to and pray on sundays. Many not being very rich to begin with.
          Tithing is something most Churches do, and if they don’t receive funds from the Government and / or their Mother Church (Catholic Church i.e. receives Taxes in Germany but not in Italy and France, not sure about NZ) that is their only income.

          Often from this income they support individual Church Members, have soup kitchens, Food Banks, Curtain Banks, after school Childcare etc etc etc .

          I don’t care much about the Church myself, but not all are like Bishop Tamaki and his bejwelled wife that like to roll in money on a stage – but then there are some that say that Destiny Church is not a Church to begin with.

          • Draco T Bastard 1.2.1.1.1
            11 June 2016 at 6:11 pm

            but then there are some that say that Destiny Church is not a Church to begin with.

            Oh, it’s a church. It just happens to be the Church of Mammon disguising itself as being Christian.

          • blackcat 1.2.1.1.2
            12 June 2016 at 9:23 am

            I thought sanitarium was 7th day adventist??? The J’wits are not savvy enough to have come up with that rort.

      • Chris 1.2.2
        11 June 2016 at 3:26 pm

        Many of the churches know it’s government’s responsibility but at the same time aren’t going to sit around seeing people homeless or hungry. The same thing happened in the early 1990s with food banks. The food banks spoke out but government took advantage of / abused the fact that that’s what charities do when people are desperate. So then it becomes part of the neo-liberal speak – all this shit about “government working with the community” and “working together to solve a community problem”. That’s utter shit and just helps keep shifting the demarcation mark between who legitimately delivers what further and further towards the non-government agencies. Plays right into the neo-liberal / less government agenda.

    • Lanthanide 1.3
      11 June 2016 at 10:38 am

      “billions”, eh?

      Maybe in America.

    • Stuart Munro 1.4
      11 June 2016 at 3:42 pm

      Many or most NZ churches don’t tithe – those that do are very wealthy, but those that don’t run on pretty thin margins paying a priest or minister and still trying to do some community work. This is part of the reason Christchurch Cathedral has not been rebuilt for example. Some churches have large property holdings that should be subject to CGT, but their ordinary donation stream is very properly tax free.

    • Chooky 1.5
      12 June 2016 at 9:29 am

      @ Foreign Weka…obviously you are very new to New Zealand and have NO knowledge what the churches here do

      …the churches actually do more for the poor and homeless than this jonkey nact government

      …the churches especially the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and the Salvation Army provide food banks , emergency accommodation, counselling, money hand outs for childrens’ school uniforms, picking people up off the street, soup kitchens, Christmas dinners….etc etc

      • AmaKiwi 1.5.1
        12 June 2016 at 10:36 pm

        Our church is small so we funnel our support to the City Mission.

        We collect food and clothes every Sunday, which is delivered promptly.

        We have special collections (money) several times a year even though our own budget has a shortfall. Religion is about empathy.

        We also support a charity in SE Asia.

        Yes, many of us in this church are left wing.

    • Moose 1.6
      12 June 2016 at 6:05 pm

      If you spent any time involving yourself in protest action or social justice work you would find as I did that very many of those around you are Anglicans or Christians of some description, including some of the most radically left wing.

    • mauī 1.7
      12 June 2016 at 7:36 pm

      I probably would have said something similar not long ago. Then I found out in my area certain churches (not all) are leading the charge in activism and anti-poverty. Whether it be fighting against the selling of state houses, running or donating to food banks. What the Government’s doing clashes with their belief system, so good on those churches and we can all learn from them.

  2. save nz 2
    11 June 2016 at 8:25 am

    More to the point, where is John Key? Having a nice Pacific visit with a coup leader?

    Funny how he is never in the country when there is a crisis or bad news.

    • WILD KATIPO 2.1
      11 June 2016 at 9:08 am

      Dont worry – that has been noticed.

      Its more than a co incidence that every time yet another scandal, fiasco , or evidence of either gross incompetence or deliberate plundering of the commons wealth has occurred – these miserable little treasonous pigs are ‘ conveninetly ‘ out of the country.

      Oh yes,… so while they wait for the fury to abate they always seem to have some other ‘ pressing business’ to attend to – usually in another country. Meanwhile this country crashes and burns – done deliberately by their policys of privatisation to gut the social services / working poor/ houses ad infinitum.

      They havent even got the courage of their convictions to stand up and ‘ please explain’ when it comes to their treacherous neo liberal bullshit. And if they do – its always some rediculous excuse / explanation that nobody but an idiot would believe .

      Vote the gutless bastards out.

    • Lanthanide 2.2
      11 June 2016 at 10:39 am

      Not like him being in the country actually makes any difference, though.

  3. Paul 3
    11 June 2016 at 8:48 am

    She had the time to write an op ed piece with Smith for the Herald.

  4. North 4
    11 June 2016 at 8:53 am

    Hi, Minister’s not available, sorry. She’s taking the long way round to Auckland Airport. No way would the gutless thing travel over Mangere Bridge past Te Puea.

  5. Robert Guyton 5
    11 June 2016 at 8:57 am

    She has sensed a change in the climate.

  6. mike 6
    11 June 2016 at 9:22 am

    She’s back in Jamaica, waiting on the beach for someone like Viv Richards

  7. jpwood 7
    11 June 2016 at 10:04 am

    She will be in Blockhouse Bay on Monday:

    ” Alfred Ngaro MP will be hosting the second West Auckland public meeting for 2016:

    6.30pm, Monday 13 June

    Blockhouse Bay Baptist Church, 504 Blockhouse Bay Road, New Lynn

    Come along and hear from Hon Dr Nick Smith and Hon Paula Bennett on housing in Auckland and the West and the government’s future plans.”

  8. Sabine 8
    11 June 2016 at 10:58 am

    Not sure who Jo Moir is, but he/she is none to pleased with Bennett, Collins, Key.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/80935371/Cabinet-Ministers-tipped-as-possible-PM-successors-derail-over-homelessness-and-police?cid=app-iPhone

    Quote: “Key, who might have spent his trip home on the Hercules contemplating a fiery Fijian Prime Minister and the fallout of his son’s tightie-whities photo shoot, could also be starting to wonder whether his two potential successors are up to the job.

    Homelessness and a rising road toll are incredibly sensitive issues with no easy fix, but it is possible to manage them without throwing a can of gasoline on the fire.

    Key’s first task on his return next week might be to remind his senior managers of the damage a lack of discipline can cause. ” Quote End.

    Oh well, this is what people voted for, so I am not quite sure why they are now so surprised. Or maybe they are not surprised at all, but are only upset that certain issues, such as homelessness and an ever shrinking police force are actually having an impact on society in general. And i guess Key junior needs to go nude next time to deflect from the failure of this National Party led Government.

    • veutoviper 8.1
      11 June 2016 at 12:45 pm

      Jo Moir is a political reporter for Fairfax Media, and she is part of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Here is a link to her Twitter feed. https://twitter.com/jo_moir

      She, along with a number of other similar MSM journalists, seem to be finally taking a more critical look at and approach to our current government. About time.

      • WILD KATIPO 8.1.1
        11 June 2016 at 6:19 pm

        ‘ She, along with a number of other similar MSM journalists, seem to be finally taking a more critical look at and approach to our current government. About time.’

        That gives me a sense of good cheer , tbh… it is nice to know… that we have some bold people left in those positions , its so good to see that someone out there ( don’t get me wrong there are quite a number left as well as blogsites such as these)…is putting the case to the public about some pretty serious issues such as this poverty / homelessness issue.

        Three cheers is all I can say.

  9. marty mars 9
    11 June 2016 at 11:16 am

    Bennett is a coward and unfit for high office. Her inadequacies are there for all to see – another hollow person.

    • NZJester 9.1
      12 June 2016 at 12:10 am

      She is also a ladder kicker who had no problems kicking the very ladder away she used to climb up to success to stop others using it.
      While Minister of Social Welfare she abolished the very scheme that helped her along the way to get to the very position she is in now.
      The standard National party hypocrite just like John Key who grew up in a state house and had free higher education to get where he is.

    • gsays 9.2
      12 June 2016 at 12:33 pm

      well marty..
      “it depends on how you define coward and unfit..”

  10. Guerilla Surgeon 10
    11 June 2016 at 11:42 am

    Is it just me, or are more and more ministers refusing to comment? Particularly on national radio.

    • tc 10.1
      11 June 2016 at 11:52 am

      Yup training is in progress so they’re all off getting their stories and slogans rehearsal before being chosen to take the field. Cue a reshuffle to sub on some fresh lips maybe.

  11. tc 11
    11 June 2016 at 11:48 am

    Still pretty lightweight though given shonky has the same ‘couldn’t give a flying F’ attitude. Along with the rest of the hollow cabinet when given the once over lightly treatment by what passes for a media in NZ

    I like the max distractions as it clearly puts him in with the rest of the celebrity, ab/sport, crime, human interest and general fear mongering content fillers where actual news used to be.

  12. Keith 12
    11 June 2016 at 1:36 pm

    She’s scared and clueless. Where’s David Farrar when you need a focus group. Actually focus grouping is useless but it’s all National know.

    She can’t possibly defend the natural results of Nationals awful non existent social policy. She is a failure and should go!

  13. Jack Ramaka 13
    11 June 2016 at 2:02 pm

    Don’t know who would be worse as our future PM Paula Bennett or Judith Collins?

    • Katipo 13.1
      11 June 2016 at 2:51 pm

      IPredict has Steven Joyce as the front runner.
      https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=browse&cat=155
      As for who would be the worst, it’s hard to say. Bennett is a bumbler out of her depth, Collins is an arrogant bully with no scruples & Joyce is an out of touch dinosaur still pursuing last centuries failed economic ideas.

      • gnomic 13.1.1
        11 June 2016 at 8:36 pm

        Shirley not even the National Party could anoint Paula as leader? Unless the termites are right into the heartwood.

        Anyone else see a parallel with the case of the dread Christine Rankin? Ambitious woman who clawed her way out of the depths, with assistance from dark forces who thought we can make use of this naif who mistakenly overrates her abilities.

        I’ll eat my hat if Paula gets her hands on the steering wheel. [Note to self – get digestible hat :-/]

    • whateva next? 13.2
      11 June 2016 at 3:27 pm

      Bridges?

  14. Stuart Munro 14
    11 June 2016 at 2:12 pm

    Paula will be in outer Mongolia looking at yurts for homeless people 😉

    Tragedy is she’d do more good if she was.

    • Rae 14.1
      13 June 2016 at 7:56 am

      I’d much rather a yurt than a shipping container, at least a yurt has stood the test of time for Mongolian people, in some pretty inhospitable weather, as well. Given that, I’d venture to suggest that yurts would probably not be on Bennett’s radar.

  15. srylands 15
    11 June 2016 at 2:21 pm

    The hysteria in these comments is palpable and is not helpful.

    Housing affordability is a complex issue. Its major drivers are macroeconomic pressures, coupled with poorly designed interference in housing markets and badly designed social housing policies. The Government is aware of all this and is moving to address what it can, albeit too slowly.

    The starting point for an an analysis of housing affordability is the NZPC report on the subject. Commentators here, and the media seem to be unaware of its existence. So here is your Saturday reading:

    http://tinyurl.com/jn3fn6a

    House prices in Auckland are soaring because there has been a rapid turnaround in the migration numbers, with a net 30,000 more people per year wanting to live in Auckland. In turn is mainly driven by the decline of Australia.

    If this trend persists, and the Government can dismantle stupid Auckland Council interference in Auckland land supply, it will take 5 – 10 years to moderate house price inflation.

    The problem now is trying to avoid a rapid decline in house prices which will kill kill any government. I have yet to met anyone who owns a house who wants its value to decline. For those who have bought in Auckland in the last 3 years, the risk of ending up with negative equity is very real. So the Government will need to walk a tightrope. Labour knows this. Ak Andrew Little if he wants to see Auckland house prices fall. You won’t get a straight answer.

    The ‘Kiwibuild’ build 100,000 cheap houses thing is bullshit. Nobody wants to live in a Government built house. Only those who have no choice will go there. Even if it could be achieved, what do you think could happen? Welcome negative equity for all those aspiring mums and dads who have got into the market since 2010. Labour would be toast and a one term government. Andrew and Grant and Jacinda don’t want that.

    The current situation in Auckland is very detrimental for New Zealand. It ha been building since 2000. Bad urban land policies, coupled with rapid population growth and a mindset that housing is the king of investments, have all combined to cause the problem. There is now no simple answer. Dumping 100,000 cheap gummint houses on the market is definitely not the answer.

    So I suggest that you all act maturely and get with the program. By all means critique the Government for not acting fast enough to liberate markets. But providing childish pictures of Hon Bennett will not help.

    BTW one of the challenges for social housing, as the NZPC points out, is that unlike 50 years ago, it is responding to multiple social dysfunction. I grew up in public housing. Dad was a tradesman. Mum stayed at home and baked scones. All of our neighbours were the same. Is that the typical state housing tennant now? No. They face multiple life long problems. Which is where the Government’s social investment approach offers so much promise. But that is another topic.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1
      11 June 2016 at 2:25 pm

      land supply

      There is 6.5 years worth of land that has all the infrastructure in place right now. Are you so ignorant of this subject you didn’t know that or are you lying, deliberately, in a perfect expression of your low character?

      • Sabine 15.1.1
        11 June 2016 at 4:44 pm

        actually i think he is neither.

        The poor geezer is on shift today and in order to earn his minimum wage ( i really don’t believe they would pay our 101st Keyboard brigade – or blue shirts – a cent more for typing), he has to sprout this bullshit.

        But hey, at least he is earning a wage. At least.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1.1.1
          11 June 2016 at 5:26 pm

          I think S Rylands earns a decent income authoring right wing sophistry. It’s the sort of thing the National Party needs a lot of when in government, and they so love their private sector buddies.

          Treasury shed a lot of dead wood around 2004.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 15.2
      11 June 2016 at 2:31 pm

      liberate markets

      More lies. The IMF is onto you, S Rylands.

      • AB 15.2.1
        12 June 2016 at 9:11 am

        “liberate markets”
        I just won a game of neoliberal bullshit bingo!
        First prize is 40 years of debt slavery, 2nd prize is a blanket and a clapped-out Nissan station wagon

    • Stuart Munro 15.3
      11 June 2016 at 2:36 pm

      If the government were making honest efforts to resolve the problems they’d be treated with respect.

      But they are lazy lying thieves and truants.

      They are just getting their first helping of long overdue and richly deserved condemnation.

    • WILD KATIPO 15.4
      11 June 2016 at 3:05 pm

      Hysteria my bloody arse mate- go visit Te Puea marae and talk with the people living in cars- if your bloody govt was so shit hot they would never have let it get this way.

      I would suggest you quit with the hysteria and stop trying to bolster up a govt that not only is undemocratic- its immoral.

      Don’t even try to defend your case. National have had 8 long years to get this sorted – want proof?

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10468960/Aroha-of-McGehan-Close-flees-NZ

      So grow up, face facts and stop being a child.

    • Brendon Harre 15.5
      11 June 2016 at 3:31 pm

      Nice story Srylands it is a pity that the facts do not fit. The main flaw in your argument is going back as far as 2007 John Key has campaigned on affordable housing and promoting a home ownership democracy. Any one of us could have come up with a variety of supply and demand reforms to calm the housing market. There has been Parliamentary enquiries on housing since the end of the Clark/Cullen government. Yet very few reforms have been enacted by Jobn Key and only when the opposition have put pressure on him to act. Tinkering and kicking the issue into touch with distractions like referring it to the Productivity Commission is what John Key is good at.

      Also your financial crisis excuse is just scaremongering. The needs of the poorly housed should be the highest priority. Of course a caring government should allow affordable houses to be built for median and low income households. Civilised societies look after the most vulnerable not the most wealthy.

      • In Vino 15.5.1
        11 June 2016 at 3:41 pm

        Magnificent spin by Srylands! I think he deserves an award for producing the biggest pile of pompous pontification since the Vatican defended the Earth being at the centre of the Solar System.

        “Liberate the market” ?? Every time we do that we get yet a greater divide between the Rich and the Poor. Some people just do not want to learn, especially those defending a privileged position.

        The evils of urban sprawl were explained to us back in the 70s. There are excellent long-term reasons for NOT opening up endless land supply.

    • Macro 15.6
      11 June 2016 at 4:33 pm

      Welcome negative equity for all those aspiring mums and dads who have got into the market since 2010.

      In 2013, 43.0 percent of people aged 30–39 years owned their home – down from 54.6 percent in 2001. Results of Census data.

      and

      “Mr Mitchell said the home ownership decline was partly because young people were taking longer to marry and have children. The median age of mothers giving birth has risen from 25 in the 1970s to 30, and the median age of buying a first house in Auckland has risen from 25-29 in 1986 to 35-39 today.

      But his data shows that the decline is not just delayed home ownership, because Aucklanders who still don’t own a house by age 45-49 have doubled from 17.5 per cent in 1986 to 35.4 per cent.
      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11391028

      It’s even worse today: The current estimate is that only 1 in 4 aged below 40 “own” their own home in Auckland.

      So you see – you really are talking a load of rubbish, and have NFI as to just what the current situation for those aged 40 and below actually is.

    • The New Student 15.7
      11 June 2016 at 7:33 pm

      Negative equity LOL risk and reward isn’t that the point of investment? Didn’t know that property was exempt from this. Cry me a river.

      • AmaKiwi 15.7.1
        12 June 2016 at 10:46 pm

        The New Student

        “risk and reward isn’t that the point of investment?”

        Putting a roof over your head is NOT an investment. It is a necessity. It’s the investors who have screwed up the housing situation.

    • Richardrawshark 15.8
      11 June 2016 at 7:55 pm

      You wrote such a long waste of space dude. That’s just shit, and it’s so long, i’m not wasting 1 hour of my life pointing out the obvious to someone as fucked up as you srylands.

      How long did it take you to write that illogical diatribe? what a joke LOL you muppet.

    • Lloyd 15.9
      12 June 2016 at 11:19 pm

      There is a simple answer. John Key and his government should resign, admitting that all their policies have helped make housing unaffordable and that their ideology will not let them correct these bad policies. Admission that their neoliberal ideology has been proven to not work would also be useful.

    • Rae 15.10
      13 June 2016 at 8:07 am

      It doesn’t matter if this little thing is a factor or another is also one as well. Fact of the matter is that 6.5 years is a long time for those who have now been denied being able to own themselves a home.
      People have been saying for years something needed to be done to prevent this disaster, though I reckon even the most hardened anti-foreign buyer among us could not fully see the outcome we do today. It’s extent has surprised even me.
      People are homeless, and among them I count renters, who have no control over whether where they are living will not be sold out from under them or rent goes up so much they can no longer afford it. They are actually just as homeless in fact than those on the streets, its just a bit more expensive form of homelessness. They may have a house, but few will have a HOME!
      Many will now rent for life, our tenancy laws are not fit for purpose any longer if we are to accept this.
      The Key government is looking straight down the barrel of being one the most hated governments in the history of this country when they are kicked out if they do nothing about it.

  16. Paul 16
    11 June 2016 at 5:00 pm

    Maybe we should keep a count of the times she does not front.

  17. Draco T Bastard 17
    11 June 2016 at 5:58 pm

    The Government has struck a behind-closed-doors deal with Te Puea marae, which is housing homeless families in Auckland – but what’s in it?

    Unless it’s for national defence, and I’m wary of that as well, then the government should not be allowed to make secret deals. When the government keeps deals secret from us then we cannot make informed decisions about our governance. Government secret deals shift us into a dictatorial system rather than that of a democracy.

    It really is that simple.

    • Steve 17.1
      11 June 2016 at 6:24 pm

      And she’s the Minister for Open Government.

      Cleary not top of her list.

    • WILD KATIPO 17.2
      11 June 2016 at 6:58 pm

      Yes…and where our taxes go and for what for, however I trust the excellent people at Te Puea Marae totally to be people of integrity. They have shown that magnificently – unlike this immoral govt.

    • AmaKiwi 17.3
      12 June 2016 at 10:50 pm

      Draco +100

      The government is us. The money they distribute (spend) belongs to us. The deals the make on are behalf of us.

      Transparency NOW!

  18. emergency mike 18
    11 June 2016 at 6:09 pm

    So my X-men type MSD ‘flying squad’ fantasy is shattered. MSD ‘phone number’ turns out to be a bit less bullshitty.

  19. Richardrawshark 19
    11 June 2016 at 7:46 pm

    How can you do a closed door behind the scenes deal with public tax payer money may I ask?

    • Pat 19.1
      11 June 2016 at 7:57 pm

      “How can you do a closed door behind the scenes deal with public tax payer money may I ask?”

      ask Fletchers and EQC.

  20. fisiani 20
    11 June 2016 at 9:45 pm

    How can you call something a crisis when more homes are being built than at any time this century. More builders are at work than at any time this century and more apprecentices are being trained.

  21. fisiani 21
    11 June 2016 at 9:45 pm

    How can you call something a crisis when more homes are being built than at any time this century. More builders are at work than at any time this century and more apprentices are being trained.

    • McFlock 21.1
      11 June 2016 at 9:47 pm

      For the simple reason that people are living in cars.

      • fisiani 21.1.1
        11 June 2016 at 9:50 pm

        Choosing to live in cars when they could easily get a warm dry home elsewhere.

        • McFlock 21.1.1.1
          11 June 2016 at 9:58 pm

          Whatever bullshit you need to invent to sleep at night, I guess.

          Because you’d look like a heartless piece of crap if they didn’t want to live in their cars but had no other option.

        • Muttonbird 21.1.1.2
          12 June 2016 at 12:00 am

          Like the prime minister and the minister for social housing, you obviously have no concept of what basic housing in Auckland looks like. It’s not warm. It’s not dry. It’s not available.

          I expect that’s because you, like them, are a just another removed cozy commenter passing judgement on ordinary peoples’ past.

        • Chris 21.1.1.3
          12 June 2016 at 1:26 am

          You are logicless. I usually don’t care for logic but you’re the exception.

        • Paul 21.1.1.4
          12 June 2016 at 12:22 pm

          At $200 per night.
          Yes, that’s an option.

        • Billy fish 21.1.1.5
          12 June 2016 at 8:23 pm

          Fisi is hoping for promotion at minitrue any day now. Extra double plus bad

        • Lloyd 21.1.1.6
          12 June 2016 at 11:23 pm

          In Syria?

    • Stuart Munro 21.2
      12 June 2016 at 4:56 am

      Proof fisi – these claims are easy – it’s the results that are lacking.

  22. fisiani 22
    11 June 2016 at 10:20 pm

    I’m glad that you agree that they have other options.

    • In Vino 22.1
      11 June 2016 at 11:15 pm

      Yeah, they could sleep under park benches.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 22.2
      12 June 2016 at 1:09 am

      Given the premise that the NZ homeless “have other options”, perhaps fisiani could explain why more citizens are ‘choosing’ not to avail themselves of those unspecified options. Is it a Labour-Green conspiracy to make the relevant government ministers (intelligent, hard-working, ethical and moral individuals all) appear incompetent and heartless? So much hand-wringing to do, so little time.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 22.2.1
        12 June 2016 at 12:30 pm

        People who don’t conform to market theory aren’t real people: the market is right and they are wrong.

    • Paul 22.3
      12 June 2016 at 12:14 pm

      Defending the indefensible.
      Symptomatic of the cruelty, greed and selfishness that is encouraged under John Key’s wretched regime.

  23. Jack Ramaka 23
    12 June 2016 at 5:25 am

    Unfortunately I don’t think John Key, Paula Bennett and Nick Smith really appreciate what is going on in the Auckland Housing Market, damp cold rats nests are going for $1.0 million. It is purely land speculation, and land value, a lot of housing in Auckland is rubbish built out of cheap materials and many home owners are so indebted they can not afford to do basic maintenance on their homes.

    Land values have got so high people can not afford to build low cost homes as they will not recover their capital when they come to sell, this is what happens when you allow mass immigration into a city with limited housing, and insufficient supply of new housing coming onto the market.

    The Government selling State Housing Stock and then providing rental subsidies to offshore investors is mind boggling – crony capitalism?

  24. save nz 24
    12 June 2016 at 10:10 am

    The solo Westie mum from struggle street whose own back story gives her the right to burn the entire Welfare State down in the name of ‘can-do’ tyranny.

    A description of Paula from thedailyblog. Very true!

  25. fisiani 25
    12 June 2016 at 11:58 am

    The Auckland housing market is a classical economic bubble. The same thing happened in 2000-2007. These bubbles sometimes burst and there are lots of economic casualties. Sometimes the bubble has a slow leak and that is not so catastrophic. No one wants a bubble to burst. That would be heartless. The large number of housing consents, Crown land allocation and special housing areas need the Auckland Council to agree to upward and outward development. Already the rate of growth in Auckland house prices is slowing, which is encouraging. If the Council play their part then supply of land will grow. Increased supply means even lower prices (Economics 101)

    • Paul 25.1
      12 June 2016 at 12:13 pm

      Can you explain why the government you slavishly follow is not housing our most vulnerable citizens.
      Even the Herald is now questioning its ethics.

  26. fisiani 26
    12 June 2016 at 12:19 pm

    The only Government house is in Wellington. The Governor General lives there. State houses in Auckland are the responsibility of the Auckland Council which has refused to create the conditions whereby low cost housing is available. The Government is as frustrated as you are by the intransigence of the Auckland Council and is pressuring them to do their job.

    • Paul 26.1
      12 June 2016 at 12:23 pm

      Defending the indefensible.
      Do you know what empathy is?
      “Try walking to my shoes. It’s not actually that easy.”

    • Paul 26.2
      12 June 2016 at 12:24 pm

      The right to housing is recognised in a number of international human rights instruments.
      Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises the right to housing as part of the right to an adequate standard of living. It states that:

      “ Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_housing

    • Gemma 26.3
      12 June 2016 at 2:21 pm

      fisiani, you are evidently a John Key sycophant who lacks originality of thought. You parrot tired old right wing excuses for the Government doing nothing to assist the most vulnerable people in our society. You rely on lies to support your fallacious argument. As you are fully aware, State houses i.e. publicly owned houses, are the responsibility of the State i.e. the Government. Lying to distract from National’s lack of concern for, or action to address the housing crisis is cynical at best and morally bankrupt at worst.

    • Pat 26.4
      12 June 2016 at 11:27 pm

      “State houses in Auckland are the responsibility of the Auckland Council ”

      good grief….where do you get this bullshit from?

  27. fisiani 27
    12 June 2016 at 12:36 pm

    I agree. So get your mates on the Auckland Council to get off their arses and free up building land.

    • Stuart Munro 27.1
      12 June 2016 at 12:40 pm

      I suppose you’re right – the government we pay to house our people has been taken over by thieves and traitors.

      They will not solve housing. They can go to prison, and let’s have a government that will.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 27.2
      12 June 2016 at 12:44 pm

      There is 6.5 years worth of land with all the infrastructure waiting to go. I expect you knew that, and are lying deliberately, because all the other parrots did it too.

      Stop telling lies, trash.

  28. fisiani 28
    12 June 2016 at 12:54 pm

    Every Auckland home owner voter has seen their assets rise in value. They are richer. They do not want a change in government. They will surely not begrudge the Council building low cost flats for the poor. This will happen. these people will be grateful to the government. BTW there are currently 1200 vacant state houses. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11653013

    • One Anonymous Bloke 28.1
      12 June 2016 at 12:59 pm

      Going to acknowledge that you lied, and apologise, the way people who aren’t trash do, trash?

      What kind of scum denies a problem like homelessness, and twists and lies and tries anything to pass the buck for those responsible?

      Get some ethics and a sense of shame, you piece of shit.

      • fisiani 28.1.1
        12 June 2016 at 1:19 pm

        Which part of 1200 vacant state houses did you fail to read? What part of 40 houses a day do you not understand? The government does not want any homeless people and is doing everything it can to alleviate this. Are you so one eyed that you think the Goverment are heartless and uncaring? Are you really that blinkered? Do you really want it to take over Auckland Council? Len Brown and the Labour/Green bloc on the Council have blocked low cost housing for years. Vote for change in the local elections.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 28.1.1.1
          12 June 2016 at 1:26 pm

          Stop telling lies, you piece of shit.

          Government themselves have got more than 20 special housing areas that belong to Housing New Zealand that are ready to go.

          “There’s no shortage of places to build. Our question to government would be, perhaps you just need to get on with it.”

          Penny Hulse

        • mauī 28.1.1.2
          12 June 2016 at 2:48 pm

          Doesn’t have the guts to visit Te Puea Marae.
          Unsure if it should give Te Puea Marae some funding.
          Made up the story about staff visiting the homeless with the Sallies.
          Bulldozed or made vacant existing state houses for their property developer mates to take over.

          Go the government…

        • Richardrawshark 28.1.1.3
          12 June 2016 at 7:25 pm

          bla bla bla,

          fisiani. How many houses of any that are built, can any low income homeless person afford to buy, any? LMFAO and when all that’s being built are expensive housing. and when 33000 homes are sitting empty due to land bankers and if free’d up would put a big dent in the rental market lowering , rents for the income bracket affected by homeless AND BTW, there were way fkn more apprentices and apprenticeships post WW2 so STFU and go back to whaleoil Cameron you fatty.

          I vote for the flush.

          You know the old dunny chain. Pull it and flush fisi FFS he just comes here and makes dumb arsed arguments that are based on national party spin. We all know where that comes from.

        • Richardrawshark 28.1.1.4
          12 June 2016 at 7:28 pm

          Would you concur that the current housing problem is not a housing demand problem but an affordability problem for an increasing number of kiwi’s.

          And if so, your governments doing fuck all, in fact doing there very best to reduce wages and give money to the rich and encouraging speculation to make the working poor’s life even harder.

          • Paul 28.1.1.4.1
            12 June 2016 at 7:57 pm

            Not worth your breath, richardrawshark.
            You are talking with a psychopath.
            Making cheap political points is more important to fisiani than the health and safety of children living in cars and garages.

    • Psycho Milt 28.2
      12 June 2016 at 1:05 pm

      Duh-uh. We already know the government’s core constituency in Auckland is doing very well out of the property bubble – that’s most of the reason the government isn’t doing anything to fix it. Your comment assumes that a National government retaining power is some kind of inherent good, which is unsurprising given that you’re an appalling toady of that government, but it’s hardly an assumption that’s going to be shared here. Do you have any substantive comment to make?

      • Richardrawshark 28.2.1
        12 June 2016 at 8:27 pm

        Mmm no one wants or wishes house prices would run at the inflation rate they have and if you are wound up in it right now I suspect your trapped in a catch 22 situation.

        The change of government may cause a collapse of the overinflated prices and I could lose all my equity and my loan could be called in. So I have to vote National but it’ll just happen later.

    • Paul 28.3
      12 June 2016 at 7:54 pm

      Your lack of empathy is shameful.
      “Try walking in my shoes. It’s not actually that easy.”

  29. Nick 29
    12 June 2016 at 10:05 pm

    I vote Fisianus and srylands off the island…. Stick them in an offshore trust.

    • fisiani 29.1
      12 June 2016 at 10:49 pm

      The puerile scatological insults are pathetic, National are the only party that care about the poor and are actually helping them. Labour just regard the poor as voting fodder. No wonder the Labour vote is plummetting as the standard of living increases for most.
      The actual work being done is listed below. Obviously it is true because it is accepted by all in Parliament.
      http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/43849

  30. AmaKiwi 30
    12 June 2016 at 10:56 pm

    I love fisiani.

    We need fisiani on TS to keep reminding us of how arrogant and greedy this government is.

  31. Lloyd 31
    12 June 2016 at 11:37 pm

    Speculation is driving up house prices. Land-bankers sitting on land zoned residential by Auckland Council are driving up house prices. NIMBYs who can’t accept higher density housing in their area are driving up house prices. People who don’t live in the houses they own are driving up house prices.
    Left-wing planning (supported by Right-wing politicians – go figure) which restrict development is driving up house prices.

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