James Shaw – 
There only seems to be one topic on people’s lips these days and that is housing.
Whether you are in Auckland or not, housing, particularly affordable housing, is a hot issue.
Given a majority of New Zealanders put most of their savings into houses, often as a retirement plan, it is no surprise that it is an issue that evinces the interest of many people.
And course, for those of us (including me) that do not already own a house, there is often a desire to buy a house and live the Kiwi dream. So the fact that so many people have so much invested in housing also makes it a very emotive issue.
Labour fault
It’s a shame that Labour’s release of leaked housing sale data has focused on the Asian ethnicity of some buyers and taken the debate away from the two real issues affecting the Auckland housing market: the demand for housing from property speculators and the supply shortage of quality housing for Aucklanders.
To address the demand side, the Green Party firmly believes that unfair tax loopholes for property investors should be closed and a full capital gains tax should be implemented.
Government intervention
To address the supply side, we believe the Government should step in and, using their access to low-interest finance, fund and build quality affordable housing for New Zealanders to live in. The New Zealand population is growing, yet we are not building houses to match this.
Last election, the Green Party proposed a state housing-build programme which accommodates those who need a safe, warm state home, and provides a path to ownership for those priced out of the market now.
So far, Prime Minister John Key and his government have refused to properly address either the supply or demand side of the housing market, and house prices in Auckland continue to rise by more than $1000 a week.
This simply is not good enough.
Young New Zealanders, new migrants and those on lower incomes deserve to have a look into the housing market and at the moment, they do not.
Until the Government is brave enough to do something about it, many New Zealanders will continue to be shut out of the housing market.
James Shaw is Co-Leader of Green Party of New Zealand. The following appears on the Party’s website:
Mr Shaw has a vision for New Zealand, where every home generates more energy than it uses, where every vehicle emits nothing more noxious than water, where every industry restores and replenishes more than it consumes. He is committed to combating climate change. One of his biggest accomplishments was helping to start PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Sustainable Business Services practice and getting the firm involved in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Mr Shaw was raised by his solo mother and, later, her and her partner. Their values – and their sense of humour – is a source of inspiration for James.
