Phil Twyford
Housing Spokesperson
2 August 2013
Healthy homes deserve decent investment
National’s targeted insulation scheme, announced after it cut the hugely successful Warm Up New Zealand scheme in May’s
Budget, will see thousands families continue to suffer in cold, damp homes, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil
Twyford.
A report published today in The New Zealand Medical Journal has underlined the importance of well-insulated, warm homes for good
health.
There is broad consensus that ensuring homes are warm and dry is the most urgent priority for New Zealand’s housing
stock.
“Yet, Labour has revealed the Government’s ‘retargeted’ insulation scheme, said to focus on 46,000 high-need homes, will
not go near far enough.
“The funding the Government has allocated will only allow for the insulation of 1/6 of houses that are currently damp,
cold and unhealthy,” Phil Twyford said.
“Treasury documents reveal that the funding allocated will fall well short of addressing this need, especially given the low uptake of the
insulation subsidy in the rental sector.
“Treasury states; ‘insulating all low-income households with children would require significantly more than $150m in total and is unlikely
to be achieved by the current scheme design’.
“Today, too many low-income families with children are living in unhealthy homes that are making them sick. National’s
piecemeal approach is not good enough. By Treasury’s own calculations it won’t achieve its desired results and cutbacks
will see over 1000 jobs in the sector slashed.
“Labour’s comprehensive Healthy Home Guarantee will ensure every rental property in New Zealand is warm and dry. Under Labour’s policy all rental housing (state,
social and private sector) will be required to meet minimum health and safety standards based on the ‘warmth and
dryness’ component of the Healthy Housing Index.
“New Zealanders want a Government that takes healthy homes seriously. For Labour, warm, dry homes are an urgent
priority,” Phil Twyford said.
ENDS