New houses need better building materials

Affordable and energy efficient building materials are needed to ease the housing crisis, the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party says.

Increasing the supply of houses will help reduce property inflation and create more affordable housing, especially in Auckland and Christchurch.

Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud recently built 42 hempcrete houses in England for around NZ$8 million, or less than $200,000 per house.

"I look at the range of materials out there, I cannot find one to match Hemp. I can't find one which has such a low embodied energy, that locks carbon in and has such a low environmental impact," McCloud said.

"It can be grown locally and harvested with minimum inputs in a matter of just a few months. It's an incredibly expedient building material. I cannot find a material which does what Hemp does."

In ALCP's shadow budget $100 million was allocated for new hempcrete housing projects.

ALCP leader Julian Crawford said this funding could be increased with matching private sector investment and the pre-sale of properties to low-income home buyers.

"Our aim is to build 1000 affordable hempcrete houses to showcase this technology, to make homes more affordable for first-time buyers and reduce pressure on the housing market," Mr Crawford said.

"We hope that the hempcrete housing industry will develop simultaneously in the private sector to make many more homes warmer, drier and healthier. Numerous jobs would be created for builders and hemp farmers to meet the needs of this growing housing market."

Older houses could also apply for funding to help retro-fit their existing homes with hempcrete panels and insulation.

ENDS

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