Talking Politics With Sam Uffindell Tauranga City MP

The Government's decision to pull infrastructure funding for hundreds of community houses planned through Tauranga's Pukehinahina Project is a missed opportunity to enable housing for the many homeless and priced out renters across the city.

On top of being the fastest growing city in New Zealand, Tauranga has an estimated housing shortage of 5000 houses and the highest house price-to-income ratio in the country.

Accessible Properties, Tauranga's largest community housing provider and a key organisation behind the project, says the setback could push its plan to replace old state housing in Gate Pā back by 'decades”, with only eight of potentially more than 600 new homes built to date.

This decision makes no sense. Tauranga City Council is trying to push ahead with intensification across the Te Papa Peninsula as a key part of addressing astronomical house prices, housing shortages and to meet future growth requirements. It also hits those vulnerable members of society the hardest. This Labour Government talks a big game on fairness and equity, but there is nothing fair and equitable about this decision.

National will make the infrastructure investments required to unlock housing and growth across Tauranga and NZ. We'll do this by freeing up land, fixing the broken RMA, investing in roads and water infrastructure, removing barriers to importing comparable building products, and restoring interest deductibility on rental properties.