PM’s Column-Increasing housing and making it more affordable 주택 증가와 더 …

There has been much debate recently around rising house prices, particularly in Auckland, and whether first home buyers are being locked out of the market.The National-led Government has been working hard to increase housing, particularly in Auckland, and to make it more affordable.

The supply of new housing is one of the biggest and most longstanding issues facing the Government. Previous governments have put this in the too-hard basket but we’re actually doing something about it.

We’re taking steps that will result in more houses being built, and more affordable homes in the market. These include a housing accord with Auckland Council, along with housing accords with seven other local councils around New Zealand, special housing areas to accelerate the release of land, and reforming the Resource Management Act.

Budget 2015 included two new initiatives around housing. The first was an investment of $52.2 million into facilitating the development of Crown-owned land in Auckland. It is estimated that the Crown, through various agencies, owns around 500 hectares of land in Auckland with the potential for residential development.

The second is introducing extra steps to bolster and enforce the existing tax rules on property transactions. We want to ensure anyone who sells an investment property within two years of purchasing it pays their fair share of tax. 

Budget 2015 also confirmed $200 million funding for the Tāmaki housing development, which will see around 7500 new houses built in the place of 2500 existing state houses.We are making progress around housing issues. 

Last week, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith released the latest Auckland housing accord monitoring report, which shows we are around 1200 homes and sections ahead of our targets at the halfway mark.

The rate of new house builds in Auckland has doubled over the past three years and investment in residential construction reached an all-time high of $2.6 billion in the year to March 2015. These initiatives are on top of our KiwiSaver HomeStart programme, which came into effect on 1 April 2015. This programme will help around 90,000 New Zealanders get the deposit together to buy their first home. 

Couples can now apply for a KiwiSaver HomeStart grant of up to $20,000 if they are buying a brand new house, or $10,000 if they are buying an existing home, under the house price caps.National values home ownership – it brings security to families and enhances communities. That’s why we will continue to work hard to improve housing supply and affordability.