Simon Bridges National MP simonbridges.co.nz

Of the events I've been to locally in the last couple of weeks, two have been particularly enjoyable.

The first was an ending of sorts. On Sunday 28 October Senior Pastor Tom Frew had a farewell service at Tauranga Baptist Church after 33 years of faithful ministry, mainly in Tauranga. His work in our community is a great example of the difference one individual can make over a lifetime. As I said to him, I'm sure his will be a retirement of ‘refiring' as much as retiring.
The other great event was definitely a beginning not an ending. It was a privilege to officially open the ANZ business centre on the corner of Cameron Road and Elizabeth Street. This new building is an absolute stunner, fit for our stunning city. It houses Bayleys, Staples Rodway, Aurecon, Rothbury, KPMG, the ANZ, and Cooney Lees Morgan and I'm sure they'll benefit from their central location and from the cross pollination of ideas that comes from sharing one space. This building is a real marker of confidence by them in their businesses and in our region.

Improving housing affordability

Last week Finance Minister Bill English announced a comprehensive work programme aimed at addressing the issue of housing affordability in New Zealand.

The Productivity Commission undertook an inquiry into the issue, due in part to the increased difficulty many New Zealanders now face when trying to buy their first home.

The Government will be adopting nearly all of the commission's recommendations to improve housing affordability. This is part of our commitment to building a more productive and competitive economy, with less spending on household debt.

Rates of home ownership have fallen dramatically over the past two decades, from a peak of 75 per cent in the 1990s to about 65 per cent now. This downward trend is one we want to reverse, and we will be working hard over the coming months and years to achieve this.

There is no quick fix for this issue.

The key aims we will focus on are increasing land supply, reducing the delays and costs of Resource Management processes, improving the timely provision of infrastructure to support new housing, and improving productivity in the construction sector.

We will also continue to investigate the specific problems of the Auckland and Christchurch housing markets, where increasing unaffordability is shutting many New Zealanders out of achieving the Kiwi dream of owning their own homes.

Housing New Zealand is currently working on a number of projects throughout the country aimed at making better use of Crown-owned land. It has recently announced a pilot $9-$10 million development in central Christchurch in which the Government will build affordable houses for private sale, alongside social housing. We will also introduce a six-month time limit on the consenting of medium-sized projects, which includes new subdivisions and infrastructure development.

It is important to remember that the Government is not a town planner. That is the role of local government and it will require a positive collaboration on all fronts to get results. The Government agrees with the Productivity Commission that affordable housing is possible, and we intend to work hard with local authorities and the private sector to make that happen.

The announcement we have made this week is a significant step towards expanding the housing market to embrace, not exclude, New Zealanders who aspire to home ownership.