Housing Minister Chris Bishop said on October 10 more than 65 new affordable homes will be delivered in Canterbury by community housing providers, including in Lyttelton.
The news was shared by Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenink on Facebook, who said the homes will be located in Lyttelton, Linwood, Merivale and Somerfield.
The blunder was called out by Labour List MP Tracey McLellan, who is based in Banks Peninsula.
“Just in case you were excited about social homes coming to Lyttelton . . . turns out, there aren’t any,” she wrote on Facebook.
McLellan was sceptical of the announcement and submitted written parliamentary questions to get more detail about the Lyttelton homes.
She told The Star the reply she received said the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development incorrectly advised Bishop’s office new social housing was planned for Lyttelton.
“I think when you are crowing about a very small number of social houses, not nearly as much as any government could be investing in, the least you can do is know where they are,” McLellan said.
“They’re not serious about providing social housing if they’re not really across the detail about where those houses are needed,” said McLellan.
“The new social houses in Lyttelton was news to me too, I’m glad it was cleared up and apologise if there was confusion caused.”
The press release and Weenink’s post has since been corrected.
McLellan said the Government would not have known an error had been made if she had not inquired about the housing.
“People hear the original announcement, but they don’t then go back onto the Beehive website to check if any updates have been made,” she said.
“There will be people assuming that there's going to be some social housing provided in Lyttelton, which is an area that could do with some investment.”
