"Massey University's study of 44 ill-served Housing NZ tenants demonstrates again that the state has no business in housing," says Libertarianz Housing Deregulation Spokesman Keith Patterson. The study highlights shows widespread dissatisfaction with Housing New Zealand as a landlord, with tenants complaining of poor customer service from staff, the total impossibility of getting anything fixed, and of cold damp houses causing sickness in children.

"We see again that poor management and an uncaring bureaucracy are the hallmarks of a Govt-run organisation," says Patterson. "Private landlords - keen to protect their investment - cannot afford to have a damp house going mouldy and losing its value; they realise that a close relationship with a tenant is the key to success."

"Let's face it," he says. "The state simply has no business in housing - the private sector provides ample housing, and delivers a better service; the state's ownership of housing causes suffering in tenants. Further, the state 's meddling Housing Supplement merely shunts money from one bureaucrat to another, while holding rents up to high levels.

"It's time to accept the evidence, bite the bullet, and sell the department."

ENDS

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