New rules reduce applications by half.
The New Zealand Government claims to have reduced the number of people in emergency housing, but Labour's housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty says this is achieved by blocking access rather than providing new homes. According to Mr McAnulty, every new Kāinga Ora house has been funded and built by the previous government.
Since the introduction of stricter rules, applications for emergency housing have declined from an average of 8,660 per month to under 4,000. The number of rejected applications has almost tripled, increasing from 3% in 2023 to 10% in August this year. McAnulty claims that people are reluctant to apply if they think they won't meet the new criteria.
The Labour Party fears that homelessness will increase as a result, with more people living on the streets or in their cars. McAnulty criticized the current government's approach, saying it prioritizes cost-cutting over providing affordable housing solutions. The previous National Government was also accused of failing to deliver public homes and siphoning off $576 million from Housing New Zealand.
The Labour Party argues that if National had matched Labour's house-building rate, they would be closer to solving the housing crisis. Instead, they have cut $1.5 billion from public housing funding, reducing people's ability to seek help.