Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

It is important to understand that decisions made by those before us can have a ripple effect - the outcome of which can be felt for a long time. Our current housing crisis is one of those situations.

The opposition leader has condemned the KiwiBuild housing initiative, calling it a failed plan before it has had a chance to succeed. The reality is this government inherited a housing portfolio which was in a very poor state. After nine years of neglect, it will take considerable time to fix.

As part of the coalition government, New Zealand First is doing everything in its power to ensure we have a plentiful supply of affordable, safe, warm and dry houses available for New Zealanders to live in and buy - something the previous government failed to do.

This government's plan to build affordable homes is a monumental task which has many hurdles to overcome. The first is the Resource Management Act. Its bureaucratic burden is hindering housing developments by slowing down the consenting process and adding an unnecessary cost on section prices, which are passed onto consumers.

Here in Tauranga, we have a thousands of sections sitting ready and available, but they have been unable to be built on (some of them for several years) because of consents not being granted due to unresolved objections.

If we want to build more houses, we need to have a plan to ensure land is readily available and affordable.

The second issue the government is facing is construction costs. The per-square-meter cost to build a house has gone up dramatically over the past decade.

A Productivity Commission Inquiry into housing affordability in 2012 showed the price of materials for a new home was 76 per cent higher in New Zealand than in Australia, which is ridiculous when you think about the quantity of natural building materials we produce here.

We need to look at regulations to stop price gouging on building materials, and we need to support better, more efficient ways to build homes to make them more affordable.

New Zealand First believes everyone deserves a warm, dry place to call home. We are part of a positive and stable government that knows that fixing long-term problems requires fresh thinking and energy. The steps we are taking will help alleviate the pressure of the housing crisis and get a better outcome for New Zealanders.