Government reveals locations of new housing places

"It will take bold action to fix the housing crisis created over the past decade"

Government reveals locations of new housing places

The government has announced the locations of its 6,400 new public housing places to be built over the next four years, which will be funded as part of the Budget 2018.

Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford released the 2018 public housing plan detailing the number and size of homes to be built, a scheme which is set to be the largest public housing programme in over a decade.

Auckland is set to receive 3,550 houses in addition to its current 30,772, and Wellington will receive an additional 715 alongside its existing 8,565. Thousands of other state houses will be distributed across all New Zealand regions with the majority going to Canterbury, Waikato and East Coast.

The project will be funded through a combination of allocated funds from Budget 2018, $2.9 billion of Housing New Zealand borrowing, and a further $900 million from its operations.

Twyford said the programme was vital, as the national housing crisis had made life difficult for too many New Zealanders.

“From those locked out of the Kiwi dream of home ownership, to those left homeless and suffering the health effects of poor housing – the single most important thing the government can do to solve the housing crisis is to build more affordable homes,” he stated.

“It will take bold action to fix the housing crisis created over the past decade, and the Public Housing Plan is another step in the right direction. Demand for housing changes all the time, and we’ll constantly monitor what’s needed across the country and will continue to invest in places where New Zealanders need public housing the most.”

The Ministry of Social Development will be working with Housing New Zealand to provide as much additional housing as possible, which may mean the number of additional housing places built by 2022 is more than the projected 6,400.

 

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