Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thumper and diplomat
Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities.
He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants.
His announcement vied for media attention with news from ministers that …
Transport Minister Simeon Brown says owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.
The rate is a temporary measure to lessen distortions while the government shifts the entire vehicle fleet away from fuel excise.to a system of road user charges system.
The ACT-National coalition agreement commits the government to introduce road user charges for all vehicles so that all motorists pay the same amount to use the road based on distance and weight, rather than what type of fuel powers their vehicle’s engine.”
The official opening of Riverland Foods’ state-of-the-art pet food factory in Christchurch provided Todd McClay, Minister of Agriculture and Trade, with a platform to state the bleeding obvious – that trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.
He bandied statistics that show exports are responsible for one-in-four jobs with rural New Zealand making up 80 per cent of New Zealand’s goods exports.
Riverland’s Christchurch factory is their first in the Asia Pacific region and uses innovative new technology to produce high value wet canned petfood. 98 per cent of its products are proposed to be exported, with a projected export value of over $120 million a year. The facility is expected to be the largest export cannery for pet food in New Zealand.
The global pet food sector is experiencing rapid growth with an expected value of $500 billion by 2030, thanks to increasing global pet ownership and a demand for premium, natural products.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington yesterday.
Their discussions on facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China “included trade, business, and people-to-people links”.
Are trade and business different?
“Alongside areas of cooperation, it was important to acknowledge areas of difference such as human rights, including the situation in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet,” Peters said.
The Ministers also discussed regional and international issues.
Wang also met with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister for Trade Todd McClay.
Latest from the Beehive
19 MARCH 2024
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.
18 MARCH 2024
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today.
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants.
Chris Bishop said he and Finance Minister Nicola Willis had sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora.
The letter lays out a series of core functions for Kāinga Ora:
- Strengthening the management of disruptive tenants
- Addressing a concerning escalation in rental arrears
- Tenanting vacant properties as quickly as possible
- Delivering new social housing places in line with targets
- Delivering value for money in its spending and delivering savings as required
The most recent data showed 335 serious complaints per month about intimidation, harassment, threatening behaviour “and worse”.
Yet, in all of 2023 only three tenancies ended due to ‘disruptive behaviour’.
“At a time when there are over 25,000 people on the social housing wait list, Kāinga Ora should not be prioritising tenants who abuse their home or their neighbours above families who are anxiously waiting for a home,” Bishop said.
The Government also expects the Kainga Ora board to focus on rental arrears accrued by tenants.
Between 2017 and 2023, the total debt owed to Kāinga Ora by its tenants increased from $1 million to $21 million, and the number of tenants owing rent nearly doubled from 4,248 to 9,519.
At the end of last year, more than 450 Kāinga Ora tenants each owed more than $10,000 in rent.
The announcement generated a raft of headlines as the media reported the thrust of the letter of expectations and the inevitable responses in favour and against.
Bryce Edwards, at the Democracy Project, recorded these media reports:
HOUSING
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): Homeless children, Nazis, fiscal holes and Police – the government’s invidious juggle
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): ‘Nobody should live like this’ – Kāinga Ora tenants hope changes make a difference
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Warning social housing crackdown will increase homelessness
Adam Pearse, Raphael Franks and Benjamin Plummer (Herald): Kāinga Ora crackdown: Greens decry ‘politics of punishment’, neighbours celebrate as Government moves on unruly tenants
Felix Desmarais (1News): Harder line on unruly Kāinga Ora tenants, overdue rents – Govt
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Government instructs Kāinga Ora to crack down on abusive and antisocial tenants
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Government promises harsher action against antisocial Kāinga Ora tenants
Anna Whyte and Glenn McConnell (Post): Government instructs Kāinga Ora to crack down on unruly tenants (paywalled)
Anaru Eketone (Herald): It’s no coincidence: the rise in gang numbers alongside the housing crisis
Fair to say, Winston Peters’ state-of-the-nation speech was still generating headlines, too.
WINSTON PETERS’ STATE OF THE NATION SPEECH
Thomas Manch (Post): Will Christopher Luxon let Winston Peters get away with ‘Nazi Germany’ comments? (paywalled)
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Extreme’: Luxon to discuss Peters’ ‘Nazi Germany’ comments with him
Anna Whyte and Kelly Dennett (Post): ‘Not the words I would have used’: PM weighs in on Winston Peters’ ‘Nazi Germany’ comments (paywalled)
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Winston Peters signals he won’t compromise on NZ First election commitments
Adam Pearse and Dubby Henry (Herald): Winston Peters explains his comparison of co-governance to Nazi Germany
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): At least the drunk uncle can blame the booze
Tim Selwyn (Daily Blog): Winston and the use of the N-word
But for good measure, Point of Order noted that the news media covered Peters’ meeting with his Chinese counterpart, too. These were among the items found in a quick Google search:
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
No comments:
Post a Comment