To prevent hundreds of thousands of Kiwis becoming renters for life in Auckland, the government must start acquiring more land and building affordable houses, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters.

'Unfortunately, this is beyond the capability of the Key government which refuses to intervene, preferring its free market ideology, allowing immigration and offshore buying to artificially boost the flagging economy.

'We have a Housing Minister who tries to present the impression that thousands of houses are being built and points to the numbers of consents as proof.

'Yet even he must understand – consents are not completed houses and we challenge his claim that 99% of consents turn into houses.

'Auckland Council statistics show the percentage of houses being ticked off as completed in the city has plummeted since the National government came to power in 2008.

'In 2008, a total of 4308 consents were approved and 4438 houses received the final Code Compliance Certificate. By 2015 a total of 9251 consents were approved but only 5073 houses had been completed and given a code of compliance.

'Industry leaders, such as New Zealand's biggest home builder Mike Greer, have called on the government to step in with policies to build many of these houses, but the government won't, preferring spin and vacuous assurances that it is doing something.

'New Zealand First's answer to this housing crisis is to address the two main drivers, mass immigration and offshore buying, and establish Kiwi Housing to purchase land and build houses where and when they are needed.

'New Zealand used to be a world leader in doing just that and National ideology does not make those former policies that used to work for New Zealand obsolete in the 21^st century.”

Source: New Zealand First.