Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith has welcomed today’s release of the latest building consent figures from Statistics New Zealand which show the upward trend in the number of consents issued is continuing nationwide.
The Government has agreed in principle to establish a new entity that will work with social housing providers to better meet demand, Finance Minister Bill English and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith say.
“Our plan is to grow and diversify the social housing sector in New Zealand,” Mr English says. “We recognise that most options to do this will have significant implications, so it is important that we fully understand them to get the right options progressed.
Duties on plasterboard, reinforcing steel bar and wire nails and tariffs on building products like roofing, cladding, insulation, paints, electrical and plumbing fittings will be removed temporarily to increase competition and improve housing affordability.
“Reducing the costs of building materials is an important part of the Government’s programme to improve housing affordability,” Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.
The Government is providing an additional $30 million of operating spending in Budget 2014 to help the community housing sector provide homes for high-need families, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.
“The community housing sector will be able to help hundreds more high-need New Zealand families get access to a warm, dry, affordable home with Budget 2014’s $30 million boost to the Social Housing Fund,” he says. “This initiative is part of the Government’s social housing reforms and our plan to grow the community housing sector.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today met with Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden to discuss the district being scheduled under the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act 2013.
“The median house price in Queenstown is $664,000 and the district is one of the five least affordable housing areas in New Zealand. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the Government and Council can work together to improve supply and affordability,” Dr Smith says.
A third tranche of 41 Special Housing Areas (SHAs) that would yield 18,000 new homes across Auckland was today announced by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown.
The Government has announced new funding of $16 million over four years to support the repair and rebuild of rural housing, the improvement of housing on the Chatham Islands and the development of Māori social housing providers.
“New Zealanders living in remote rural areas face a number of unique and often difficult challenges, including the cost and availability of decent housing,” Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia says.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed the release of the latest building consent figures from Statistics New Zealand, saying the record seven-year high for March 2014 shows the Government’s policies are continuing to deliver results.
A new Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) development was opened today in Welcome Bay, Tauranga by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.
“These six new homes being developed in Tauranga will help meet local demand. The new homes are fully insulated, have double glazing and are well-positioned to soak up the Bay of Plenty sun. They are also designed to meet the demands of larger families and smaller families being four- and two- bedroomed, because this is where the shortage of social housing in Tauranga lies,” Dr Smith says.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed The Co-operative Bank into the Government’s Welcome Home Loans scheme, bringing the total number of lenders offering the first home loan product to 11.
“The Co-operative Bank’s decision to offer Welcome Home Loans means that more first home buyers will have access to the scheme, and more will be able to realise the Kiwi dream of owning their own home,” Dr Smith says.
A Christchurch Housing Accord has been agreed between Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Mayor Lianne Dalziel to help address housing issues in the city.
From tomorrow selected community groups will be able to offer income related rents for people needing social housing and people will be able to test their eligibility through Work and Income.
“We are growing low cost housing by partnering with dedicated community groups that are providing the properties. We are also expanding income related rent subsidies beyond Housing New Zealand,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today marked the completion of the 1000th Housing New Zealand repair in Christchurch as part of the Government’s large-scale post-earthquake repair and rebuild programme for the Canterbury region.
“The repair of the 1000th state house is a significant milestone in our programme to rebuild Christchurch’s social housing following the devastating earthquakes. It gives me confidence we can meet our commitment that by the end of 2015, all 5000 damaged state houses will be fully repaired,” Dr Smith says.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today opened the first new home in the 150-house Pomare mixed housing redevelopment in Lower Hutt, Wellington.
“This first new Pomare home is the future face of social housing in New Zealand under the Government’s new policy which takes effect following this weekend. We are replacing old state house suburbs with mixed housing developments where homes are of better quality and more diverse in size and ownership,” Dr Smith says.
Five community housing providers are to receive $14 million from the Government and the Canterbury Community Trust (TCCT) to build 75 units in Christchurch, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and TCCT trustee Sue McKenzie announced today.
The first monitoring report of the Auckland Housing Accord was released by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown following their meeting in Auckland today, with both the Minister and the Mayor welcoming the progress being achieved.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today marked the official opening of a Housing New Zealand redevelopment comprising of 22 new two-bedroom apartments in Three Kings, Auckland.
“This modern, fit-for-purpose complex is a far cry from the four old, standalone houses that previously sat on this underutilised site. These apartments will provide a warm, dry and safe home for elderly and disabled tenants in close proximity to key facilities and amenities such as the supermarket, the local library and public transport,” Dr Smith says.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today launched a new research and development initiative at Hobsonville in Auckland to foster innovation in more affordable homes.
“New Zealand needs to develop more affordable housing options and part of the solution is smart, smaller designs. This Small Home Test Lab research project is about trialling five new standard designs for smaller homes on smaller lots and testing their market acceptance and consumer feedback,” Dr Smith says.
The Government today announced the next step in delivering housing assistance to those most in need with reviewable tenancies for all social housing tenants.
In the first year this will apply to people currently paying market rents or close to market rents to see if they can move into and sustain a private rental.
About 800 reviews, commencing from 1 July 2014, are expected to be completed in the first year, out of approximately 68,000 state house tenancies.
Families in the Bay of Plenty, Capital and Coast, Hawkes Bay, Hutt Valley, Lakes, Northland, Tairawhiti and Waikato district health board areas with children at risk of rheumatic fever will be fast-tracked to the top of the waiting list for state housing from 1 March, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced the start of a trial Warrant of Fitness scheme on Housing New Zealand homes.
“This Government is committed to improving the quality of housing to help achieve our goals of better social, health and educational outcomes for New Zealanders. Our first step was to insulate every state house that could be insulated. This was completed last year. The next step is developing a practical minimum standard and applying this to our state houses,” Dr Smith says.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has launched a new resource to help address family violence in ethnic communities.
The ‘Culture No Excuse for Abuse’ booklet has been produced by Auckland’s Shakti Community Council with help from the Ministry of Social Development’s ‘It’s Not OK’ family violence prevention campaign.
Twenty-two new affordable rental houses were opened in Māngere, Auckland today by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, as part of the Government’s programme of expanding the community housing sector.
“This Matanikolo Project provides warm, dry, safe and affordable housing for 22 families who have previously been living in crowded, unstable or otherwise unsuitable accommodation. These new homes will hugely enhance the quality of life and future prospects for the 100 expected new residents,” Dr Smith says.
Proposals are being sought for the development of about 275 affordable homes on an 11.5 hectare site in Hornby, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.
“We need to increase housing supply to assist with Christchurch’s recovery and we need more housing in the affordable range,” Mr Brownlee says.
“This proposal is about facilitating the private sector to develop land the Government owns to address Christchurch’s housing needs.”
