Labour's Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford will join local Labour Party candidates at a public meeting in Tauranga tonight.

He will cover Labour's policies around housing, and how to solve issues with accommodation in Tauranga.

'It's important, because Tauranga is right in the firing line, and has seen some of the worst effects of the housing crisis,” says Phil.

'The median house price in Tauranga has gone up 56 per cent in the last three years – more than $200,000.”

He says the median house price is now seven times the median household income in Tauranga.

'A factor of three is considered the international benchmark for affordability. We haven't had that ratio since the 1980s, however. Rents have gone up by more than $5000 a year in the last five years, too. That explains why you've seen a huge increase in homelessness – people can‘t find anywhere affordable to rent.”

He says it's a clear sign the National government's housing policies have ‘failed' Tauranga.

'It cannot be acceptable, in a society as prosperous as ours, for people to be living in garages and cars, or for a younger generation to be denied the opportunity for home ownership that their parents and grandparents took for granted.”

He says Labour still plans to build 100,000 affordable homes for Kiwi families.

'Where the demand is most acute is where we will build the houses, and Tauranga will be near the top of the list.”

Speculators who sell a house within five years of purchasing it will also be required to pay full income tax on the capital gain.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges says the government's recent investment of $230 million in Tauranga infrastructure will ‘future-proof' housing growth in Tauranga.

'The $230 million interest-free loan for the Tauranga City Council will provide for 35,000 more houses through three major new infrastructure projects in the city.

'The government's KiwiSaver HomeStart scheme has also helped 842 people into homes in Tauranga, with grants totalling $4.47 million.”

The public meeting with Phil and local Labour candidates Jan Tinetti, Angie Warren-Clark, and Tamati Coffey will take place at the Arataki Community Centre from 6.15pm tonight.