Party vote

Housing

Housing in NZ is among the least affordable in the world, despite a recent fall in house prices. Pressure is now growing from property investors and homeowners to allow the housing market to heat up again. While all the major parties say more needs to be done to ensure everyone has affordable housing, there are major differences in how they propose to go about it. Should the state take the lead in building more houses, or loosen the rules to encourage private investors?

Housing

Housing in NZ is among the least affordable in the world, despite a recent fall in house prices. Pressure is now growing from property investors and homeowners to allow the housing market to heat up again. While all the major parties say more needs to be done to ensure everyone has affordable housing, there are major differences in how they propose to go about it. Should the state take the lead in building more houses, or loosen the rules to encourage private investors?

Key policiesHousing affordabilityHousing qualityRentingSocial and public housing

  • Introduce a tax on urban residential land

    Require a 100 percent deposit for properties purchased for investment purposes

    Share all GST revenue from new residential building with local councils

    Create a $3 billion fund for social housing

    Support more housing density in central cities and around transport nodes

  • Limit rent increases to three percent or less per year

    Require landlords to disclose previous rent levels to new tenants

    Introduce a Rental Warrant of Fitness for all rentals

    Require all bedrooms in rental homes to have adequate heating

    Introduce a landlord register

    Provide extra height allowance for developments that meet sustainability and other standards

    Build 35,000 new public houses over five years

    Increase the production of high-quality off-site manufactured homes

    Provide an underwrite to support community housing providers building new rental homes

    Cap rent for council housing at 25 percent of income

    Remove regulatory barriers to allow Māori to build on their own land

    Increase wrap-around services for those who are homeless

    Introduce a wealth tax

    Prohibit new fossil fuel gas connections in most cases

    Provide grants and loans for home energy efficiency improvements

    Make clean energy improvements tax deductible for rental properties

    Expand programme that installs solar electricity in social housing

    Broaden the scope of Warmer Kiwi Homes to include more zero carbon upgrades

    Support community energy initiatives

    Establish Healthy Air standards for building ventilation

    Deliver housing suitable for multi-generational families

    Reform student accommodation standards

    Expand energy efficiency scheme for low income households

    Create ventilation standards for homes to reduce airborne illnesses

    Increase funding for Māori to build on their own land

  • Tax undeveloped land

    Introduce tax on vacant houses

    Build 2000 houses on Māori land over two years

    Allocate half of new social housing to Māori

    Require all new houses to be fully accessible

    Make existing public housing fully accessible

  • Increase the accommodation supplement for seniors

    Develop a seniors housing plan

  • Oppose a wealth or capital gains tax

    Continue to invest in housing for Māori

    Support Māori to better access funds to install sustainable infrastructure on marae and papakainga

    Introduce a papakainga planning standard

    Continue supporting progressive home ownership funds for Māori

    Explore low interest loan finance and grants for housing projects for whānau

    Continue fund for building and upgrading infrastructure

    Provide tax rebates for improving energy efficiency in existing houses

    Provide rebates for installing rooftop solar and battery storage

    Increase funding for community renewable energy projects

    Continue programme that installs solar panels on social housing

    Build 6000 more public houses with improved accessibility

    Make it easier to use KiwiSaver to purchase first homes

    Require tenancy managers to be licensed

  • Abolish the bright line test for tax on property sales

    Allow landlords to deduct interest costs from income tax

    Share half of GST revenue from new residential building with local councils

    Replace the Building Act with compulsory building insurance

    Abolish the Progressive Home Ownership Scheme and the First Home Grant

  • Revert the bright-line test for tax on property sales to two years

    Allow interest deductibility on loans for rental properties

    Require councils in major towns and cities to release more land for housing development

    Retain rules requiring councils to zone for six storeys close to public transport

    Remove some protections for undeveloped land near cities

    Standardise infrastructure funding process for councils at their debt limits

    Pay councils for consenting additional houses

    Make housing growth a priority for transport funding

    Replace foreign buyer ban with purchase tax for houses worth $2 million or more

    Allow landlords to evict tenants without cause

    Introduce a contestable funding model for building new social housing

    Commission an independent review of Kāinga Ora

    Review social housing tenancies in areas with high demand for social housing

    Increase consultation requirements for new Kāinga Ora social housing

    Evict disruptive or abusive tenants from Kāinga Ora social housing

    Prioritise families living in cars or motels for more than 12 weeks for social housing

    Require emergency housing grant recipients to spend grants in the area they currently live in

    Pay bonuses to social housing providers who shift people from emergency to secure accommodation

    Amend tax and foreign investment laws to encourage build-to-rent housing

  • Introduce tax on foreign house buyers and local buyers with three or more properties

    Use financial levers to help people buy homes

    Reduce compliance costs to lower house prices

    Restrict land banking

    Reform the Resource Management Act to free up land for housing

    Relax building material regulations

    Consider reducing immigration to reduce housing demand

    Introduce a a 10-year guarantee on new builds

    Allow insured builders and designers to self-approve some work

Key policiesHousing affordabilityHousing qualityRentingSocial and public housing

  • Introduce a tax on urban residential land

    Require a 100 percent deposit for properties purchased for investment purposes

    Share all GST revenue from new residential building with local councils

    Create a $3 billion fund for social housing

    Support more housing density in central cities and around transport nodes

  • Limit rent increases to three percent or less per year

    Require landlords to disclose previous rent levels to new tenants

    Introduce a Rental Warrant of Fitness for all rentals

    Require all bedrooms in rental homes to have adequate heating

    Introduce a landlord register

    Provide extra height allowance for developments that meet sustainability and other standards

    Build 35,000 new public houses over five years

    Increase the production of high-quality off-site manufactured homes

    Provide an underwrite to support community housing providers building new rental homes

    Cap rent for council housing at 25 percent of income

    Remove regulatory barriers to allow Māori to build on their own land

    Increase wrap-around services for those who are homeless

    Introduce a wealth tax

    Prohibit new fossil fuel gas connections in most cases

    Provide grants and loans for home energy efficiency improvements

    Make clean energy improvements tax deductible for rental properties

    Expand programme that installs solar electricity in social housing

    Broaden the scope of Warmer Kiwi Homes to include more zero carbon upgrades

    Support community energy initiatives

    Establish Healthy Air standards for building ventilation

    Deliver housing suitable for multi-generational families

    Reform student accommodation standards

    Expand energy efficiency scheme for low income households

    Create ventilation standards for homes to reduce airborne illnesses

    Increase funding for Māori to build on their own land

  • Tax undeveloped land

    Introduce tax on vacant houses

    Build 2000 houses on Māori land over two years

    Allocate half of new social housing to Māori

    Require all new houses to be fully accessible

    Make existing public housing fully accessible

  • Increase the accommodation supplement for seniors

    Develop a seniors housing plan

  • Oppose a wealth or capital gains tax

    Continue to invest in housing for Māori

    Support Māori to better access funds to install sustainable infrastructure on marae and papakainga

    Introduce a papakainga planning standard

    Continue supporting progressive home ownership funds for Māori

    Explore low interest loan finance and grants for housing projects for whānau

    Continue fund for building and upgrading infrastructure

    Provide tax rebates for improving energy efficiency in existing houses

    Provide rebates for installing rooftop solar and battery storage

    Increase funding for community renewable energy projects

    Continue programme that installs solar panels on social housing

    Build 6000 more public houses with improved accessibility

    Make it easier to use KiwiSaver to purchase first homes

    Require tenancy managers to be licensed

  • Abolish the bright line test for tax on property sales

    Allow landlords to deduct interest costs from income tax

    Share half of GST revenue from new residential building with local councils

    Replace the Building Act with compulsory building insurance

    Abolish the Progressive Home Ownership Scheme and the First Home Grant

  • Revert the bright-line test for tax on property sales to two years

    Allow interest deductibility on loans for rental properties

    Require councils in major towns and cities to release more land for housing development

    Retain rules requiring councils to zone for six storeys close to public transport

    Remove some protections for undeveloped land near cities

    Standardise infrastructure funding process for councils at their debt limits

    Pay councils for consenting additional houses

    Make housing growth a priority for transport funding

    Replace foreign buyer ban with purchase tax for houses worth $2 million or more

    Allow landlords to evict tenants without cause

    Introduce a contestable funding model for building new social housing

    Commission an independent review of Kāinga Ora

    Review social housing tenancies in areas with high demand for social housing

    Increase consultation requirements for new Kāinga Ora social housing

    Evict disruptive or abusive tenants from Kāinga Ora social housing

    Prioritise families living in cars or motels for more than 12 weeks for social housing

    Require emergency housing grant recipients to spend grants in the area they currently live in

    Pay bonuses to social housing providers who shift people from emergency to secure accommodation

    Amend tax and foreign investment laws to encourage build-to-rent housing

  • Introduce tax on foreign house buyers and local buyers with three or more properties

    Use financial levers to help people buy homes

    Reduce compliance costs to lower house prices

    Restrict land banking

    Reform the Resource Management Act to free up land for housing

    Relax building material regulations

    Consider reducing immigration to reduce housing demand

    Introduce a a 10-year guarantee on new builds

    Allow insured builders and designers to self-approve some work

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