Verifiable information required

Homelessness is officially defined in New Zealand as having no options to acquire safe and secure housing and affordable accommodation is a key measure to address homelessness.

The problems of homelessness and affordable housing are as old as New Zealand itself. In fact, the Otago Daily Times reported in 1864 that Dunedin and Auckland had ''filthy back slums''.

By 1903, Auckland's chief district health offer was still reporting the city contained ruinous and insanitary houses.

The Liberal government built workers' dwellings and housing loans for workers were introduced in 1923. Overcrowding nevertheless increased with the Great Depression.

A 1936 national survey found nearly a third of the total urban housing stock was unsatisfactory and 15% of that was only fit for demolition.

Maori in particular experienced poor housing conditions, a phrase still ringing true today.

The First Labour Government loaned money for private house purchases and built state housing to rent.

During the 1950s, the National government moved to reduce the waiting list for state housing and promoted home ownership, but lengthy waits for some people were reported.

Concern was also expressed then about severe overcrowding, especially among Maori. Successive governments have tried, and apparently failed, to solve the homelessness problems.

The question to be asked now is why is the issue of homelessness and affordable housing being adopted so stridently by opposition parties - even to the extent of touring the country holding inquiries into homelessness?

Images abound of people having nowhere to stay but on the floors of friends' houses, in garages, tents and cars. Where have these people been until they were conveniently discovered by Labour and the Green Parties?

Prime Minister John Key insists the Government has a plan to deal with homelessness after National MPs voted down a call by Labour and the Greens for a cross-party inquiry into the problem.

Mr Key says the caucus decision was made because the Government has already done a lot of work in the area of homelessness, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett having done this well over a year ago.

Mr Key and his Government are not coming out well from the latest flood of publicity surrounding the state of New Zealand's homelessness and vulnerable people.

Teachers are saying children are arriving at school with behavioural issues and learning difficulties. However, most of the teaching fraternity are no friends of National as it attempts to change the teaching model.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund claimed New Zealand now had the highest house price-to-income ratio. Labour says Mr Key and his ministers now appear the only people who do not believe there is a housing crisis.

So far, the issue of homelessness has not dented National's popularity in the polls but it can only be a matter of time before endless images of the poor and vulnerable clutching their worldly goods in grocery bags start to bite.

Some of New Zealand's state houses have been left to deteriorate to a state of total uninhabitable accommodation. Millions are being spent on renovating houses either damaged by wayward tenants or contaminated by drug use and manufacture.

Some state houses have been sold because they are in the wrong area or are the wrong size for families needing accommodation.

Mr Key was correct in turning down the offer to participate in a cross-party inquiry which would have been hijacked by outside forces.

But pretending nothing is happening is no solution.

The Government owes it to all New Zealanders to dig behind the headlines and start delivering some verifiable reports on the state of New Zealand's housing shortages, the extent of the homelessness in this country and just what action is needed to address any problems found.

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