Kerre Woodham: Who's hands should social housing be in?

Who on Earth would want Chris Bishop's job? The Minister for Housing has launched a new scheme designed to make it easier for community housing providers to provide social housing. The previous administration was all about the government, we're from the government, we're here to help – people within the industry have told me of a rather bunkered attitude towards housing provision.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 26/11/24

Govt rolls out initiatives – but we must wait to enjoy the benefits – on housing, health and police

Plans to provide more social housing, plans to provide more doctors and nurses, and plans to relocate a police station…

These were among the initiatives announced by our hard-working ministers in the past day or so.

David Farrar: Better to stimulate housing supply than demand

Chris Bishop released:

The coalition Government is investing in social housing for New Zealanders who are most in need of a warm dry home, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.

Budget 2024 will allocate $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places to be provided by Community Housing Providers (CHPs), not Kāinga Ora, thanks to savings found by ending the First Home Grant.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 24/5/24

Shane Jones has the zeal, sure enough, but is too busy with his mining duties (we suspect) to be available for climate change job

The hacks of the Parliamentary Press Gallery have been able to chip into a rich vein of material on the government’s official website over the past 24 hours.

Among the nuggets is the speech by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and a press statement to announce the Government’s vision for the future of minerals and the mining industry.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Social housing must take priority over the First Home Buyers Grant

Now, on this decision by the Government to cut the First Home Buyers Grant in order to put the money into social housing instead- 

I've got to be honest, on principle, it's not the kind of thing I love. Because I'd personally much rather the Government give a helping hand to Kiwis trying to do the right thing rather than constantly bailing out the delinquents.

But in this one respect, I think they’re prioritising the right thing.

Josie Pagani: Jacinda Ardern resigns: What was the point of all that?

It was meant to be the most transformational government ever. Now, Jacinda Ardern's Labour government has ended. There was no transformation.

It took courage to resign from a job that is a privilege, and hard to walk away from. She deserves full credit for making the tough call, and extra credit for doing the right thing once she knew her heart was no longer in it.

It's unclear why she made the call now. Polls showing her approval rating steadily dropping can’t have helped. No one enjoys being disliked.

Her reputation internationally will remain high. An undefeated leader who delivered the first majority MMP government sounds a lot better than the leader who lost a third term.

Mike Butler: Tribes first up for social housing

New tribal corporations appear to have the first right of refusal for all state houses the Government plans to sell because such rights to surplus Crown properties have existed in treaty settlements back to the Waikato-Tainui deal in 1995.

Housing was the main subject of Prime Minister John Key’s state of the nation speech last week. A proposal to sell between 1000 and 2000 Housing New Zealand properties over the following year for use as social housing run by approved community housing providers was the standout among five proposals that included: