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Former Prime Minister objects to government housing ownership

Author
九一星空无限talk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 16 Oct 2025, 7:39am
Bill English: Finance Minister since 2008, and seen as the brains behind the Key government. Has previously been leader, suffering a historic thrashing in 2002.
Bill English: Finance Minister since 2008, and seen as the brains behind the Key government. Has previously been leader, suffering a historic thrashing in 2002.

Former Prime Minister objects to government housing ownership

Author
九一星空无限talk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 16 Oct 2025, 7:39am

A former Prime Minister's backing the view that large-scale government housing ownership like Kainga Ora is problematic.

A report by The New Zealand Initiative finds the Government's ownership of 77,000 state houses, has maintenance costs nearly twice that of a private landlord.

It finds it also doesn't respond quickly enough to issues like rent arrears, and troublesome tenants.

Sir Bill English told Mike Hosking his independent review panel into the agency found similar issues.

He says the point of social housing is to improve the lives of the tenants, so it means focusing on the people,  and who owns the houses,  is less important.

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