Nine years of National rule brought us …
One of the worst consequences of nine long years of National rule presented by that well known left wing periodical the Financial Times.
Social issues
housing
Twyford reverses National’s flawed methamphetamine housing policy
Phil Twyford has shown this new Government has a brain as well as a heart by halting National’s ridiculous state house methamphetamine policy where the presence of minuscule traces would result in eviction even though there was no proof the tenant was responsible and he has apologised to Robert Erueti for the harm caused.
“Such inexcusable neglect”
The Auckland housing crisis in graph form.
Phil Twyford: the future of housing in New Zealand
The text of an important speech from Phil Twyford where he talks about the 6th Labour Government’s plans for housing.
The NZ Government passes Health Homes Guarantee Act
“Every New Zealander deserves a warm, healthy home to live in, and the Health Homes Guarantee Act will help ensure that”
Revisiting the Chinese-sounding-names story
Data journalist and former Herald reporter Harkanwal Singh talked recently about data literacy and diversity.
Bourgeoise meth
The release of new valuation figures yesterday reinforced how addicted householders are to increasing real estate valuations, no matter what the cost.
Home Sweet Home
The changing face of New Zealand.
So there was a housing crisis after all
The briefing to incoming Housing Minister Phil Twyford shows clearly that a crisis in housing developed under National’s watch.
Labour plans to stop overseas purchases of residential properties
Labour has announced plans to prevent foreign residents from buying residential homes in New Zealand.
The mess that the new government inherits
This post is too long to read. Its purpose is to serve as reference material, a “one stop” snapshot of where we are as a country. The mess that the new government inherits. The consequences of the nine long wasted years of National. The magnitude of the challenge ahead of us.
Books but no beds
Most viewed story on the Guardian website today: “New Zealand library cracks case of missing books.” Turns out some of Auckland’s 23,000 homeless were hiding bookmarked books in odd places so they wouldn’t lose their place. The library will now keep their books safe. Good on them. Finding homes for homeless must be a high priority for Aotearoa’s next government.
Donkey Dick Duncan
Gross political incompetence, not immigration, is what lies behind and beneath New Zealand’s infra-structure problems. Only a excited donkey’s dick waving in a stiff breeze might point accusingly towards immigrants and immigration as the problem.
“The Green Party is committed to reforming renting so that every house is a home”
People who rent should have security so they can put down roots and benefit from being able to participate in their community.
Bryan Bruce’s documentary ‘Who Owns NZ Now?’
Reviewed on Stuff: “Who owns New Zealand now? The NZ On Air-funded documentary that screened on Three on Tuesday, September 12 confronts the housing crisis head on and it’s an eye-opener.”
Stupid myths on immigrant construction workers
One of the dafter myths about the current burgeoning immigration industry is that we need skilled immigrants for the construction industry. As usual the talkback idiots are wrong. We don’t get many. We need more. We need to get rid of the migrant dross to get them. A Kiwibuild quota is a good idea.
Labour’s support for renters
While National revert to type with populist scaremongering, Labour is getting on with the business of releasing practical policy that supports real people and addresses real problems.
Shameful poverty – why we must elect a Labour led government
Two excellent but very disturbing pieces in The Herald yesterday. This crisis in poverty, housing and health is a national disgrace. It is why we desperately need to elect a Labour led government in September.
National is telling fibs on housing
During the weekend one of National’s rising stars Amy Adams debates housing with Labour’s Phil Twyford. Adams was supremely confident but the data she relied on appears to have problems …
Still no answers on housing from Nats
Yesterday Phil Twyford debated Amy Adams on the housing crisis. Adams was hopeless, the Nats still have no answers.
No Right Turn: Dealing with ghost homes
“we want houses to be homes for people to live in, not gold bars for the rich”
A couple of morning cartoons
Paula Bennett gets owned by Phil Twyford in question time
This afternoon in Parliament during question time Paula Bennett showed clearly that this Government has no idea what to do about the housing crisis.
Let’s get rid of these clowns
The Government’s failure to do anything about the housing crisis or about zombie cannabis is evidence they should be removed from office.
New Zealand is number 1! *
* in a list of developed nations for homelessness.
NZ’s climate change guinea pigs
The first round of climate change pass-the-parcel is about to knock some players out of the property investment game. The rest of NZ should be paying attention.
Government admits it has “no idea” on homeless
Today in news that makes you want to scream: “Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has admitted “in hindsight” the Government’s response to the housing crisis has been too slow.”
The Catholic Church is urging its parishoners to vote
The catholic bishops of Aotearoa have released a pamphlet urging parishoners to vote. And apart from conservative positions on euthenasia and drug liberalisation the policies they support have a decidedly progressive bent.
Bravo Clare Curran
Labour MP Clare Curran has been camping in Dunedin’s Octagon to protest against the MSD’s treatment of two homeless mothers. Bravo Clare for putting yourself on the line to draw attention to this issue!
Flavell has “no idea” how homelessness got so bad
Could it have anything to do with the government of the last nine years, and the policies that you and your party have been supporting?
National’s brighter future
The homeless crisis is getting that bad in Auckland that people are dying because they have nowhere to live.
Nats panic over climbing prison population – I have some advice
The government is “seeking advice” over the skyrocketing prison population. I’m happy to oblige – but they aren’t going to like it…
The great Auckland housing crash of 2017
Two indicators both agree that the Auckland property market has started trending downwards. Over leveraged buyers are going to get burned, and first time buyers are still shut out. Perfect.
Bill English reckons that landlords can’t raise rents
The last budget raised accommodation supplement – against the advice of Treasury who said that landlords would capture the cash. Not to fear though, because Bill English reckons that landlords can’t raise rents…
Special Housing Area provisions are failing but Nick Smith thinks everything is fine
Nick Smith is attempting to rewrite history by claiming that the Government never thought the special housing area affordable housing provisions would work and that the housing crisis is improving.
Spare a thought for the homeless tonight
Not just because it’s winter, and the weather is lousy, but also because of this…