Rare moment Greens and National agree on NZ’s housing ‘challenges’ – 1News

In a rare moment, Auckland Central Green MP Chle Swarbrick and Deputy National leader Nicola Willis have found common ground on aspects of New Zealands housing inequality, including the accommodation supplement.

The accommodation supplement is a payment which helps New Zealand families on low and middle incomes cover their housing costs if they meet certain income and cash-reserve criteria.

Swarbrick took issue with the supplement, and told Breakfast it was going directly into the pockets of landlords, there is thorough research on this now."

And Willis agreed: "Well that's right, one of the major challenges with the accommodation supplement which was made to help people pay their rent, is that there is evidence against it gets passed on to landlords, it doesn't drive new housing supply John.

That's why I promote, let's give community housing providers direct capital funding to build more homes for lower income tenants.

"Direct capital funding."

Thats something we can largely agree with, and it's something that's within the Green's homes for All policy in 2020, Swarbrick said.

Willis said more affordable homes needed to be built for low-income tenants.

Swarbrick also urged that the housing problem was happening right now.

"Whats going to happen in the next year for renters in particular, 1.4m New Zealanders who are living, as we all know, in far less higher quality places than those who own their own property.

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Rare moment Greens and National agree on NZ's housing 'challenges' - 1News