Affordable Housing A Critical Policy Area For New Auckland Council

Auckland’s failure to keep up with housing demand has prompted Waitakere’s Housing Call to Action[i] to ask electoral candidates what actions they would take to improve the region’s housing problems.

Most of the 44 candidates[ii] who responded, (from 11 of the 13 wards, and including the leading contenders for mayoralty and council), consider housing affordability a critical issue.

While some favoured central government taking full responsibility, the majority of responses saw involvement of both local and central government as vital in tackling housing issues.

There was also strong support for retaining and improving council housing for older people.

Mayoral candidates Len Brown and Hugh Chapman provided a comprehensive approach to housing and there was widespread support amongst council candidates for many of Call to Action’s proposed initiatives[iii]. These included a regional housing needs assessment, more innovative ways to provide quality, low cost housing and the use of planning mechanisms and incentives, such as reducing consent and development fees. There was some support for introducing housing warrants of fitness and gifting land for social housing.

Of those candidates for Council, the following supported most or all of HC2A’s proposed initiatives:

• North Shore Ward – Joel Cayford, Ann Hartley (Shore Voice), Grant Gillon, Margaret Miles
• Orakei Ward– Hugh Chapman
• Albany Ward - Uzra Balouch
• Manukau Ward - Sir Barry Curtis
• Manurewa-Papakura Ward - Toa Greening (Team South)
• Maungakiekie-Tamaki Ward – Richard Northey (Labour-City Vision)
• Rodney Ward – Christine Rose, Vincent Pereira,
• Waitemata Ward – Mike Lee (did not reply but supports City Vision)
• Whau Ward – Jeremy Kirwan
• Waitakere Ward - Penny Hulse, Bill Daly
• Albert-Eden-Mt Roskill Ward - Glenda Fryer, Cathy Casey (both City Vision)

“It will take strong commitment not just by the Mayor, but a majority of councillors, in order to really make traction to bring these ideas to reality,” says Lisa Woolley, spokesperson for community groups involved with Waitakere’s Housing Call to Action. “We sincerely hope that the election brings those people into power.”

ENDS

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