Non-political housing policy called for

Press, 20 April 1988, Page 54

Non-political housing policy called for

PA Nelson An urgent need exists for a non-political housing policy, says the president of the Master Builders’ Federation, Mr Bill Harrison. '

He told the federation’s annual conference in Nelson that I there were serious deficiencies in present housing policies. He was commenting on the National Housing Commission’s final report which had said that thousands of families were living in serious housing need. ;

"Builders selling to second-home buyers trading! up; may find little wrong with the trade-up philosophy, but as a national housing policy I believe it is somewhat defective,” Mr Harrison said.

“Forcing low-income first-home buyers to pick over the discarded houses of [those; trading up simply supports the price of an ageing housing stock and at the end of the chain provides a supply of substandard dwellings for uncaring landlords. "Present Housing Corporation lending criteria makes lit almost impossible for builders to put first-home seekers into a new home."

He said the difficulties faced by low-cost home builders and the undesirable housing resulting from the present criteria were [ clearly demonstrated jto him when he inspected low-cost houses in Masterton and Hamilton. “I was told these mini-mum-size houses were for the low-income and disadvantaged home seekers. If they weren’t disadvantaged before they moved in they certainly were after. “Yet we have been told that lessons learnt from past housing mistakes would prevent such housing problems recurring. Something is drastically wrong. “There is an urgent need: for a non-political housing policy statement that will enable the housing industry and potential clients to plan long-term strategies. “The Housing Commission’s report states, ‘it is vital that adequate, affordable housing for all continues to be a central, realisable goal of public policy'.”

Mr [ Harrison said the federation would work to produce such a policy statement. Mr : Harrison said he

was concerned about the growing list of organisations which had played a role in the industry and were now subject to Government change. He asked who would monitor the housing scene now the National Housing Commission had made its last report, and said that the Standards’ Association was required to be selfsupporting, making the price of documents almost exorbitant. “The Building Industry Advisory Council is also now under threat of extinction,” he said. “Unless private funding can be found we will lose an authoritative voice for the industry. “The Building Research Association of New Zealand now risks losing its Government grant, which will result in a curtailment of its work for the industry and the public. The list grows daily.”

Mr Harrison said the Building Performance Guarantee Corporation had been a perfectly good user-pays consumer-pro-tection body, but was declared a quango and pushed into a back room at the Housing Corporation.