State House Policy To Be Reviewed

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32352, 18 July 1970, Page 44

State House Policy To Be Reviewed

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 17. With the reduction in the backlog of the demand for State houses, it has become evident that policies on State housing would have to be reviewed, the Minister of Housing (Mr Rae) said today.

Addressing the national housing convention in Wellington, the Minister said that since the war, Governments had concentrated on building large numbers of State rental dwellings, and the housing backlog as a result had largely been reduced.

In 1950, total applications for State rental housing exceeded 40,000. By 1960 this demand had been reduced by two-thirds and in the period 1968-70 the position had stabilised at about 5000 to 6000 applications. In the last 10 years. 47.369 families had been housed in State rental accommodation, the Minister said.

“As a result of overtaking the backlog and a lessening in emphasis of demand, it has become evident that certain of the policies which have been followed in the past should be reviewed,” he said.

“It is clearly evident today that multi-unit housing is foreign to and unacceptable to the majority of family groups in New Zealand. “My department is fully aware of this change in emphasis, and it is examining

its policies in the light of changing conditions. “The Government has been! strongly criticised in recent times for its developments, at Otara and Porlrua, in particular. “I wish to make it quite clear that it has never been the Government’s particular! aim to create vast concentrations of one-class housing,” the Minister said.

t State rental housing policy in the future would quite j likely be changed from the pattern of past years, but he was not going to prejudge whatever recommendations might come from the Housing Commission, Mr Rae said. • “A certain percentage of new construction will be ' necessary, but not to the extent that was traditional in past periods. “Servicing, programming and economic considerations have in the past determined large-scale housing developments. “However, more satisfactory results of local authority serJ vicing and planning activities ; are now manifesting them- ’ selves and there may be a ‘ better opportunity for the lo- ■ cation of State houses to be • diversified into smaller blocks and to increase the proporI tion of private dwellings in , State housing areas,” Mr Rae said.