The Government’s flagship KiwiBuild programme is in crisis with head Stephen Barclay today resigning, says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“Phil Twyford can’t even manage his own department – how can we expect him to plan and build 100,000 new houses?
“This is the danger of putting the Government in charge of a massive house building programme.
“Twyford must urgently move to cut planning red tape so that the private sector can take over and build the houses New Zealanders need.
“We have a housing crisis because regulation has made land artificially scarce and houses expensive.
“The latest manifestations are in Auckland and Wellington where students are paying to share beds and sleep in living rooms.
“KiwiBuild will not add to the housing supply and will not solve the housing crisis.
“The Government is simply buying existing private sector homes, placing a KiwiBuild logo on them, and adding a set of bureaucratic rules around who can buy them.
“Phil Twyford should be getting to the source of the housing crisis by tackling red tape, something he campaigned on in opposition.
“The Government was elected to solve the housing crisis. Nine months in, it is desperately failing.”