SHAN Convenor John Minto

SHAN network is outraged that the government is lining up an Australian social housing provider to buy hundreds of state houses in New Zealand.

“With New Zealand’s main social housing providers such as the Salvation Army and Methodist Mission refusing to be part of this policy the government has the gall to line up an Australian company to buy our state houses.”

“It’s a case of shameless desperation on the part of State Housing Minister Bill English. It’s nothing short of a national embarrassment to have Australians called in to prop up a failed policy.

“We are opposed to the sale of any state housing to either local or foreign social housing providers and their corporate backers”

“We have written to social housing providers across New Zealand warning them of the disastrous impact of a state house sell off on low and middle income tenants and families.”

“We will do the same with Horizon today to warn them off from meddling in New Zealand housing. If they proceed they can expect to be the subject of on-going protest from New Zealanders”

Our message to Bill English is that only governments have the capacity and resources to meet the housing crisis. This is the case everywhere in the world – including New Zealand.

Instead of asset-stripping state houses the government should be embarking on a comprehensive state housing building program.