Labour will make housing affordable for all

Labour believes in a compassionate and ethical economic system, one where services that are necessary to a person’s survival and ability to live a happy and secure life are not sold off towards profit and abused to make money off of those in need. Housing is one of these services. Of course, not everyone needs a home in the specific sense of the word. Some may live with a friend, in an apartment, or what have you. Those who genuinely wish to live in one of those situations will be allowed to, but so many Kiwi are forced onto the streets with no end in their suffering in sight. They must weather storms and all of nature’s wrath, all because we have failed as a society to provide affordable housing. Labour will fix this. To accomplish this, Labour will:

We will end the foreign ownership of land

The amount of money we earn from foreign investment is not worth it compared to the skyrocketing prices we see which is pricing young people from ever owning their own home.

Keep capital gains tax on housing

This ensures that housing is less about a mode of investment and more about helping keep house prices affordable.

We will build 200,000 news homes

...as well as removing red tape for private development of housing.

We will encourage housing to be built in outer urban and rural areas

We will advocate for decentralisation by giving incentives to do so, to reduce the number of people who are crowded into unhealthy, polluted high density buildings downtown.

Work to removing the large number of empty homes across the nation, meaning more supply for renters.

We will create insentives to choose to rent out ones home instead of leaving them empty

We will defend the rights of renters in their fights against overbearing landlords; rights which National want to remove.

whilst making sure that everyone who does have a home has the ability to feel like it's their home. National want to reverse the changes we've made to give renters the right to furnish their homes, keep pets, and not have constant invading inspections.

Make Housing New Zealand a Public Service

Housing New Zealand will be removed as an SOE and instead made a public service so that it is driven by government policy alone and does not have to worry about profit motives that non-public services have to worry about. This will allow Housing New Zealand to focus on providing affordable housing for those in need and investing in repairing housing that is not up to adequate standards.

Create an affordable housing authority

Labour will create an Affordable Housing Authority which will interact with private entities on creating affordable and decent housing for low income people as to ensure that Labour is seeking all options to build new homes as fast as possible. Every day spent in homelessness is a day of tragedy for homeless individuals, and Labour will work as quickly as possible to alleviate this tragedy.

Remove Auckland Urban Growth Boundary

Auckland has a problem with housing, and Labour will seek to ensure that the people of Auckland are provided with affordable housing. However, there is a limit to where these homes can be built, due to a boundary on Auckland’s urbanization. This is unfair to the city and should not be stopped unnaturally. If Auckland urbanizers further, this should be allowed and it will lead to more room for more affordable housing, which will improve the impact of Labour’s housing policy in Auckland. Labour will seek to remove this boundary.