Green Party releases flagship housing policy

The Green Party has released its flagship housing policy, Homes for All, to create thriving towns and cities and support mana motuhake Māori and self-determination at a community level.

The party clarified that the Homes for All housing policy is not Māori-specific. However, it includes several Māori-specific initiatives and is strongly underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a sustained commitment to social justice.

The housing policy promises to increase housing supply and affordability by changing the rules to empower and encourage community housing, maintaining the public house build programme, and supporting an integrated, Māori-led community response to homelessness. It also aims to improve housing quality and change the rules for rentals.

“As a minor political party, the Greens will need to work in coalition or as a confidence and supply partner with a Labour-led government. Strong on the environment and Te Tiriti, the Greens have a set of policies designed to work alongside Labour's, but with – arguably – a stronger commitment to social justice and equity,” the Green Party said.

The Homes for All housing policy has the following components:

• Using Kāinga Ora to deliver affordable new rental properties to clear the public housing waiting list within five years and provide pathways to homeownership through progressive ownership options;
• Support Te Tiriti o Waitangi and community-driven housing development by fixing funding and regulatory barriers to papakāinga and cohousing;
• Increased professionalisation and regulation of the rental sector, including funding to enable community housing providers to offer affordable long-term rentals, review of the accommodation supplement, warrant of fitness for rental homes, and better standards of tertiary student accommodation;
• Promote environmentally sustainable and inclusive urban development through Crown developments and improved planning provisions; and
• Ensure every home is safe, warm, and dry by overhauling the Building Code and make COVID-19 recovery stimulus available to additional energy efficiency initiatives.

“Our transformational Homes for All Plan improves the quality of our homes, makes them more affordable and accessible, and improves our relationships with our landlords. It's our plan to create a fairer Aotearoa where all people have a healthy, safe, and affordable home, no matter if they rent or own,” the party said.