Wigram MP Megan Woods and Ilam MP Hamish Campbell went head-to-head over homelessness, housing, and the cost of living during a wide-ranging discussion on Politics with Chris Lynch Media.
The conversation followed new Ministry of Housing figures showing nearly 5,000 people across New Zealand are living without shelter. In Christchurch, community organisations are warning that the crisis is deepening.
Hamish Campbell defended the Government’s approach, saying National is focused on restoring affordability and stability to the housing market. He said rents are starting to ease, mortgage rates are falling, and more listings are becoming available.
“We’ve seen a national average rent decrease of 2.7 percent and a surge in rental listings,” Campbell said. “We’ve moved families out of emergency housing and into social housing through policies like Priority One, which prioritises children getting out of motels.”
He said more than 375,000 people are receiving rental assistance and another 100,000 are on income-related rents. “We’re committed to using a mix of public and private sector solutions to house people,” he said.
But Megan Woods said the Government’s claim that fewer people are living in motels is misleading. “They’re not being housed, they’re being left in cars, tents and on the street,” she said. “That’s the reality, and it’s happening right here in Christchurch.”
Woods said more than 440 planned public housing projects across Canterbury have been scrapped, including 212 homes in the Wigram electorate alone. “That’s five or six hundred people who could have been housed. Those homes were planned, ready to go, and this Government cancelled them,” she said.
She also said local community housing providers have been left in limbo. “Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust and others have said they can’t get contracts to build. The pipeline has dried up.”
Campbell responded by pointing to the high cost of state house construction. “When the Government builds a house, it can cost up to 300 percent more than the private sector. That’s not sustainable. We’re focused on better outcomes for taxpayers and better value for money,” he said.
Both MPs agreed that Christchurch is in need of more one-bedroom and studio housing, especially for vulnerable people who do not suit shared living environments.
Woods said that was exactly the type of housing that had been cancelled. “We have an oversupply of three-bedroom houses in social housing and not enough one-bedroom units. The Government scrapped projects that would have delivered that,” she said.
She added that Labour had previously built facilities like Auckland’s HomeGround, which provided wraparound services and housing for those with complex needs.
Campbell said homelessness is a “complex social issue,” often tied to mental health and addiction, and cannot be solved by housing alone. “We’re also tackling the cost of living, and housing affordability is improving. Rent and mortgage costs are falling, which is good news for families.”
On inflation, Campbell said National had brought inflation under control, cutting it from more than 7 percent under Labour to around 2.3 percent now. “That’s a big win,” he said. “We’ve also seen wages growing faster than inflation.”
Woods challenged that claim, saying low-income earners have seen their wages fall behind. “If you’re on the minimum wage, your pay has gone backwards under this Government,” she said. “The people doing it toughest are being left behind.”
On the question of how to bring down the cost of living without government handouts, Woods pointed to targeted investments. “We extended 20 hours free early childhood care so families could work more and keep more of their income. That helps people meet their basic costs like food and power,” she said.
Campbell said National is focused on economic growth and structural reform, including fast-tracking infrastructure projects and reforming the RMA. “We’ve announced $6 billion in infrastructure investment and changes to speed up housing development. That’s how you lift wages and lower living costs,” he said.
Both MPs criticised Fonterra over rising butter prices, with Woods questioning what Finance Minister Nicola Willis achieved in her recent meeting with the dairy cooperative. “We export New Zealand butter to Australia and it’s cheaper there than it is here. That’s outrageous,” she said.
Campbell said while dairy prices are high, they are a small part of household spending compared to housing and transport. “We need to focus on the big costs that impact families the most,” he said.
