Election 2023: What Tauranga candidates say to a man struggling to find an affordable rental

The Bay of Plenty Times is asking Tauranga election candidates what they and their party would do to help some of the local people who have shared their struggles and stories with our readers. Next up is Malcolm Stanford who is struggling to find a job and a rental property.

Former timber mill worker Malcolm Stanford spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times in April about having to live in a friend’s garage because he could not find a rental property.

The 50-year-old said he had found it hard to get a job with no car or fixed address and was worried he would eventually end up on the streets.

Stanford said he had been working with a social agency to find fixed accommodation but motels, motor camps and backpackers, but some were already full and others had waiting lists.

“I never imagined I’d end up like this,” he said.

Stanford now says he moved into a cabin at a Tauranga holiday park on September 28, which costs him $500 a week. It was not, however, a permanent solution to his difficulties.

He told the Bay of Plenty Times he would like a rent cap put in place by the Government as properties had become “unaffordable and out of reach for many Kiwis”.

Stanford said it was “almost impossible” to get a rental property as so many people were desperate to find accommodation and being unemployed only added to the situation he found himself in.

Tauranga electorate candidates’ responses:

Larry Baldock (Independent) -

Stories like Malcolm’s unfortunately are not new but reveal the enormity of Tauranga’s housing crisis. In the 2017 election, National refused to acknowledge a crisis and Labour campaigned on a promise to build 100,000 new homes nationwide that never eventuated. In 2023, it still affects those employed but having to sleep in cars, those paying too much of their income in rent, first-home buyers who can’t get loans and many others. Fixing it will require central government and local government to work together on removing all the crazy regulations that are in the way of solutions.

Justin Crooks (Green Party)

Hi Malcolm, I understand that life circumstances can change without notice. That’s why I believe that having a decent, affordable home is a basic right. We will implement rent controls that put a limit on how much your landlord can increase your rent. We will accelerate the public housing building programme. In addition, our income guarantee means you will receive a base payment of at least $385 every week. We will also make the first $10,000 of earnings tax-free so that you are not penalised for trying to get ahead with some part-time work.

Erika Harvey (New Zealand First Party)

Hi Malcolm. Times are incredibly tough. Inflation affects everyone and as banks continue to raise interest rates and councils continue to raise household rates, these costs flow into the rental market, adding further complications and expense in an already tough market. NZ First is looking for ways to alleviate these pressures and bring down the cost of living, which is why we are advocating for a tax-free threshold of your first $14,000 earned, and adjusting income tax brackets for inflation. We are taking on foreign-owned banks and supermarkets who are charging more here than they do back home.

Jono Landridge (New Conservatives)

Party response: We will always encourage homeownership with tax incentives, KiwiSaver changes, rent-to-buy schemes, shared equity models and reduced immigration. There are no quick fixes — the housing shortage comes from new construction falling behind demand from high immigration, largely due to over-restrictive planning laws, exacerbated by recent requirements to upgrade rentals. We would address the long-term problem with fit-for-purpose resource management reform, replenish the necessary skills by promoting trades training from Year 9, and find other ways to reduce compliance costs and delays in construction. We would also reexamine the necessity of requirements for rental properties.

Jan Tinetti (Labour Party)

Labour has worked hard to make life easier for renters and ensure everyone has a healthy, secure place to live. Over the past three years, we have put in place several practical policies to support renters including limiting rent increases to once a year and stopping no-clause terminations. Among other policies, a re-elected Labour government will use the Affordable Housing Fund to partner with investors, philanthropic organisations, developers, and the affordable housing sector to expand the range of housing options for people whose needs are not currently being met by the market, to especially secure affordable rentals.

Sam Uffindell (National Party)

House prices in Tauranga are extremely unaffordable. Rents are up about $180 per week under Labour. Their decision to remove interest deductibility, against official advice, put significant upward pressure on rental prices and increased costs were passed to tenants. National will fix New Zealand’s housing crisis and help people like Malcolm. National will restore interest deductibility, require councils to set aside land for 30 years of housing, invest in enabling infrastructure, provide councils financial incentives to deliver new housing and power up successful community housing providers like Accessible Properties in Tauranga, who help people into homes.

Christine Young (Act New Zealand)

I’m distressed to hear about the employment and housing issues Malcolm is facing. Act has policies to reverse the burden of red tape and bureaucracy piled onto smaller employers and landlords. This will allow employers more flexibility to take on employees. Act will ease costs recently imposed on landlords for providing rentals and make it easier to build more homes at lower cost. Act will overhaul laws around resource consents; shake up infrastructure funding by sharing the GST on new builds with local councils; and allow builders to use approved materials from like jurisdictions to improve affordability and quality.

- Leon Samuels (Vision New Zealand), Chelsea Stokman (Animal Justice Party) and Mikaere Sydney ( Te Pāti Māori) were approached for comment.

Editor’s note: Candidates’ submissions may have been edited.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.