Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

Houses selling quickly, an influx of migration and a host of jobs being listed online are great for our City. But a booming city also means higher rent, fewer families able to buy their first homes, many that do become ‘house poor', and an overwhelming number of jobs are taken up by new migrants.

This can be very hard on the people that already live here. New Zealand First has housing and employment policies aimed at alleviating these pressures through direct government intervention.

Among New Zealand First housing policies is the sale of residential sections under long term agreements for sale and purchase (up to 25 years) to first home buyers, on a cost recovery basis, so that first home buyers will have access to sections which are affordable, reducing the overall initial capital cost of a new home by about one-third.

We also advocate for two per cent interest rates for at least the first five years, then rising to lowest market rates.

We firmly oppose the sale of state housing. We cannot allow the care for society's most vulnerable to sit in the hands of foreign corporations and risk them being managed through profit-driven entities.

We also propose creating more jobs and more variety in the types of jobs available by moving to a more innovative economic policy. As an example, if we stop exporting raw materials and focus on exporting finished goods, we will create more jobs whilst commanding higher prices on the international stage.

The right government policies can help mitigate some of the major challenges we're facing as a city as we continue to grow and expand.