Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

The large number of foreign investors buying up New Zealand properties is creating an entire generation of Kiwis unable to buy their own home – ever. With so many Kiwis being pushed into the rental market, rent prices are spiralling out of control. There is more demand than there is supply.

While there are many things that can and should be done to remedy this situation, simply building more houses to be bought up by foreign investors and rented out at exorbitant prices – which is what the Government suggests – is not the key.

And we won't embrace the idea that renting is the new way of life in New Zealand, where the Kiwi dream of owning your own home is ignored and a new dream for society is pushed – one where only the world's wealthiest own all property and the majority of us return to a plebeian society, at the mercy of foreign landlords.

While this Government seeks to replace core Kiwi values with corporate American ideologies, NZ First will continue to fight for the protection of our fundamental rights as Kiwis.

The first step towards fixing this housing crisis is to create a national land registry that keeps track of who is purchasing New Zealand properties.

The Government currently lacks a basic record keeping system of foreign ownership over New Zealand property.

To remedy this, NZ First proposes the Land Transfer (Foreign Ownership of Land Register) Amendment Bill.

This Bill would enable us to monitor and report on the purchase of property, particularly the non-resident purchase of properties.

This simple tool would empower us to enforce necessary changes in the housing market, so that we can protect the core Kiwi value of home ownership.