Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Housing, hope and ideology

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  • Sacha, in reply to Glenn Pearce,

    Approx 35% of HNZ priority waiting list demand is for 1 Bed

    Apartments, then?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz,

    Do you reckon that the Speaker might impose a rule during any debate or discussion (am I being naive in thinking this might be, you know, debated and put through select committee etc?…) which requires MPs to declare any interest in the matter, i.e. are they or are they not a landlord?

    Seems only fair we should have transparency and a high-standard in all this, what?

    OK, yes I'm being naive...this will happen through a change of regulations, won't it?

    Hamilton • Since Nov 2006 • 73 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison,

    National always start the term with some weird shit, like mining Great Barrier Island. They want to get away with it but if it gets too negative, the stop and can it and spin it as reinforcing their supposed centrist sympathies.

    It's just nasty politics. They want people begging for accommodation supplements like they have done with employment benefits. They want to scare the users into not using. The only job growth I've seen recently is security guards at WINZ. That's the legacy of the idiot Paula Bennett , a horrible change to our social service environment. Hypocrite too, if you have ever followed her career path, given she owes her success to a much milder benefit environment.

    Also the Auckland affordable housing market will not be helped by this so for that city the policy is a fucking joke.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Sacha,

    1 bedroom demand is driven by an abundance of poor single citizens. It’s a social change. Apartments are logical. One bedroom houses are very scarce, but as you say it’s less about the waiting list and more a subversive way to shrink the state's helping hand.,A ladder pulling from John and Paula, ironically from our past state house user citizens in government, nice , thanks guys for the amazing hypocrisy.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Marc C,

    You would reach the 12 million Key quoted within a time less than two years for a single person, and just over 3 years for a small family, that is if they claim the full entitled amount for Auckland.

    He says it would cost half a billion to build a thousand homes, which may be true if each single home (does not have to be a house these days) would cost half a million. Key does not consider the lower comparable cost of more economically built, cheaper homes and the use of them over at least one generation, which is common.

    The idea that it would take 1000 $500,000 dwellings to house 1000 people is demonstrably absurd. I'm not holding my breath for reporters to do the math though.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    1 bedroom demand is driven by an abundance of poor single citizens. It’s a social change. Apartments are logical.

    They’re also not going to cost half a million bucks apiece to construct.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz,

    Parliament is way behind the times in managing conflicts of interest, but there is a pecuniary register now.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Russell Brown,

    We may have the silliest and dirtiest Government in the Murdoch speaking world.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I'm not holding my breath for reporters to do the math though.

    They seem to believe it's unsporting or something. Or they can't add, multiply or use a calculator.

    Affordable but good-quality apartments are exactly the sort of proposition that central and local government are well-placed to underwrite over decades, given that banks demand higher up-front deposits for them - because capital gains aren't so steep. Not like private investors are the answer there.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Sacha,

    I think treasury needs to move to Auckland. It needs to be louder and staffed with a higher standard of worker.

    Economics is a lot clearer than even ten years ago. The GEC shone so much light into the bullshit of moving money around for the sake of short-term profit. We need adults with qualifications to expose money stupidity from the right.

    George Bush called it voodoo economics for a reason.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    I'd welcome a diversified portfolio of economic advisors. Funny how the market they foist on others doesn't apply to them.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Sacha,

    Maybe we need to hear from the economic departments of our universities, these guys should be wonking hard. Get them columns.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • steve black,

    Yes John Key's numbers don't stack up. But before you even get into the details of his two numbers, I think this is another case of "asset sales arithmetic".

    The first thing I thought of with John Key's numbers this morning is: over what time period? Spending $12M per year? per election term?

    And comparing this to what exactly? Building $500M in buildings? This means you haven't given away the money. You have invested it in buildings. You now have an asset.

    Remember those? State Assets which were sold to get cash although Keith Ng (among others) demonstrated that on traditional economic analysis it was worth more the the country to keep them?

    I sense a triumph of ideology over good management practice, and backed by fluffy numbers and even fluffier thinking.

    sunny mt albert • Since Jan 2007 • 116 posts Report

  • steve black, in reply to Sacha,

    Apartments, or...

    Flatmates. Why hasn't this come up in discussions about there being too many bedrooms in the houses they have available? Did they not go to University? Did they live at home until they entered Parliament?

    sunny mt albert • Since Jan 2007 • 116 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to steve black,

    I think flatting was a phase of youth housing system that has crept in as a social norm.

    Co-existing with complete strangers is not easy. Individual housing has more social and mental security.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    universities, these guys should be wonking hard. Get them columns.

    yes, who knows where their media presence has gone? strangely silent..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Sacha,

    Elites suck unless they play rugby and then they rock.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    they who has the gold makes the rules

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Sacha,

    Yes every three years we give the gold to the congress, and our invisible senate and president veto is substituted for a robust news core. I can't wait for the robust news cores, apparently it 's Alice's next job after the waterview tunnel.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    she a gold-diggeur

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison, in reply to Sacha,

    Well statistically its he’s a gold digger.

    Gold, so shiny. Big pools and lots of plane trips away from Nu Zild. Like the kiwiblog guy but with a big house and other houses for the poorer neighbour, just like charity but also not like charity at all.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison,

    NZ HERALD LATEST

    " Unbearable' stench on NZ-bound flight"

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to steve black,

    Flat tout...

    Did they live at home until they entered Parliament?

    Muldoon used to flat in a house I later lived in, in Hawkstone street, Thorndon (in fact Russell picked me up from there when I shifted up to Ak for RIU work ) - during his Young Turk days in opposition (er, Muldoon's, not Russell's, that is)
    ;- )

    There was always an oppressive feeling in the large sunny lounge, and people who slept there felt as if they were being sat on or suffocated.
    Years later I was staying in the hotel now opposite, and while waiting outside one morning, spotted some folk leaving the place - so I said "hi" and asked if the place was still haunted, they said "no", but later that evening I saw them hurrying out of the place with suitcases and cartons... spooky! or merely a coincidence?

    NZ being the small place it is, one of my flatmates there, Finola Dwyer was just finishing film school (I think) - Now she's on Greek St in London producing damn fine movies...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Caleb D'Anvers,

    Maybe we need to hear from the economic departments of our universities, these guys should be wonking hard. Get them columns.

    Yes. What has happened to the esteemed Dr Greg Clydesdale?

    London SE16 • Since Mar 2008 • 482 posts Report

  • Jack Harrison,

    The exception is those who managed to land with a mortgaged home, but don’t have the income to service it

    That transaction can not be serviced by the state. That is a stupid purchase.

    wellington • Since Aug 2014 • 296 posts Report

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