Poppy finalist Big jump in in Ashburton print house prices P4 awards P4 ASHBURTON
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Tuesday, May 13, 2014
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Ashburton to lose 31% state houses BY SUE NEWMAN
SUE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Ashburton is set to lose 31 per cent of its Housing New Zealand properties by 2024 if a controversial new housing demand model is adopted. Information released under the Official Information Act to Labour’s housing spokesman Phil Twyford shows that demand for state housing in the Ashburton District will decline, resulting in 58 houses being pulled from the current pool of 186. Housing Minister Nick Smith released a plan over the weekend that indicated up to 12,000 state houses could be transferred to community groups or charities as the Government lessens its role as a provider of social housing. Currently it provides 94 per cent of New Zealand’s social housing; it wants its stakeholding to be less than 80 per cent. And that is nothing less than assetstripping regional New Zealand, Mr Twyford said. “It is not as if there are no poor people needing a decent roof over their heads in Ashburton. Affordable housing is one of the advantages small regional centres have – now the Government is taking that away.” In almost every provincial town and
city there were dozens of state houses lying empty while needy people were forced into often substandard and overcrowded private rental housing, Mr Twyford said. Ashburton is already suffering higher mortgage interest rates and LVR minimum deposits because of the Government’s failure to get a grip on the Auckland housing crisis. Now the Government wants to send its state houses to Auckland, he said. If the Government elects to quit some or all of its housing stocks in Ashburton, the Ashburton District Council could be a willing buyer. Becoming a social housing provider had been discussed by the council, Ashburton Mayor Angus McKay said. “With all the schemes we’ve looked at to date, the council would have to front up with ratepayer money, but if there was a government scheme that didn’t involve ratepayer money I think the council could definitely have a look at it,” he said. The council is involved in aged persons’ housing, but social housing would be a very different beast, Mr McKay said.
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