KiwiBuild 'a welfare scheme for property developers' - Judith Collins

June 18, 2019

The National MP said there should instead be “a focus on social housing”.

KiwiBuild is "essentially a welfare scheme for property developers" and should be scrapped, National MP Judith Collins says.

"They [the Government] can take the $2 billion they put aside for KiwiBuild and give it to Pharmac, if necessary, or just put it back into the pot, because frankly KiwiBuild is a disaster," the National housing spokesperson said on TVNZ1's Q+A last night. 

Ms Collins said KiwiBuild "goes around getting houses where people don’t necessarily want them in the configuration that they are available". 

"I would rather us have a focus on social housing, particularly around community housing providers."

Schemes such as build-to-rent , that is currently being considered by the Government, was "worth looking at", she said. 

"The only concern that I have is what is being proposed by Phil Twyford, with very little detail other than getting in great big corporates to come in and build apartment blocks for people to live in, essentially for life. And that, to me, is bit of a concern."

When asked by host Jack Tame about National's responsibility for housing issues while it was previously in Government, Ms Collins regretted that the Resource Management Act wasn't changed.

"The Resource Management Act and the planning rules in which they are applied are, in my opinion the two biggest problems when it comes to cheaper house and better housing."

Despite Ms Collins' view KiwiBuild should be scrapped, the latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll revealed Kiwis still back the concept.

The latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll shows support for the programme despite high-profile setbacks.

The poll asked, "Do you think the Government should continue with the KiwiBuild scheme?"

Sixty per cent said yes, the Government should keep going, while 34 per cent said no and five per cent didn't have an opinion.

The National MP was interviewed by Jack Tame about housing and her poll result, on June 18.

Q+A is on TVNZ1 Mondays at 9.30pm, and the episode is then available on TVNZ OnDemand and as a podcast in all the usual places.

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