The government has broken a key housing promise for Auckland.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed National will not meet its election pledge of building 1000 additional public homes in the city each year.
According to Labour's housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty, Auckland will instead experience a net loss of 285 Kāinga Ora homes in 2026. This marks the first time in over seven years that the number of public houses in Auckland will decrease. The government has also cancelled hundreds of housing projects and put thousands more at risk of not being built.
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka's promise to build more social houses than the previous government remains unfulfilled, with zero funding allocated for Kāinga Ora to construct new homes. Labour claims this is consistent with National's track record of cutting costs in housing and reducing public home numbers. The party has called for a government focused on providing housing for those in need, rather than prioritizing cost-cutting measures.