Housing Minister Megan Woods has clashed with National MPs again in Parliament today, defending the Government's response to the state housing crisis.
Woods was being put under pressure by National housing spokesperson Nicola Willis during question time.
Woods confirmed the state housing waiting list had increased from 6182 in December 2017 to 22,409 as of November 2020, but when asked when the list would drop to pre-2017 levels, responded: "What I can commit to all New Zealanders is we won't do what the previous Government did."
She said in 2011, National reviewed the eligibility for public housing that saw the waiting list "magically" reduce "despite the flogging off of houses in that period of time".
"We are a Government that will have a waiting list that truly reflects housing need and not play games to fix the numbers," she added.
The fiery defence was interrupted by jeers and comments by MPs in the chamber, prompting Speaker Trevor Mallard to yell for order and snap, "Does the member want an answer or not?"
When questioned about the sale of state housing, Woods fired back, citing data from National's time in power and the drop in available state housing stock.
She said in 2018, 54 state houses were sold and in 2019, 64 sold by the Labour-led Government.
"I would compare this to 2014-15, when 577 were sold. I could compare this to 2015-16, when 428 were sold," Woods said.
"Let us always remember that member [Willis] is a member of a party that finished Government with fewer public houses than it started with."
In a statement released after the clash, Willis accused Woods of "fudging the numbers" around the state housing stock.
"What New Zealand needs is additional, new houses. We have a public housing wait list that is spiralling out of control and thousands of Kiwis who cannot afford their first home," Willis says.
"Rather than move houses from one category to the next, the minister should get on with addressing the root causes of our housing shortage by taking urgent action to remove the planning and regulatory measures preventing new housing supply."
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