By FRANCESCA MOLD politcal reporter
The Aucklanders renting the country's most valuable state house have lived in it for 32 years and pay $58 a week.
The top home, rented out by Housing New Zealand's Panmure office, is worth $582,000.
In response to questions from Act list MP Muriel Newman, Housing Minister Mark
Gosche has revealed the five highest-valued state homes, the rents being paid and the time the tenants have been in them.
Housing New Zealand would not reveal exactly where the most expensive state house is, citing privacy reasons.
The Panmure office looks after 1703 homes in Howick, Pakuranga, Panmure, Mt Wellington, Remuera, Meadowbank and Ellerslie.
The next four most expensive state houses are looked after by Housing NZ's office in Glen Innes, which has 2110 tenancies there and in Orakei, St Johns, St Heliers, Kohimarama and Glendowie.
These homes range in value from $521,000 to $546,000. The rent for them is from $48 to $69 a week and tenants have been in the homes from two to 30 years.
Dr Newman said the Government should sell its more expensive homes and use the money to buy houses in cheaper suburbs.
This would ease growing waiting lists for state homes. At least 10,100 people are on the lists.
Dr Newman said income-related rents that the Government had introduced gave state tenants an incentive to stay put.
She said more than 1000 people had lived in state houses for 41 years or more.
"Instead of being a temporary help for people in need, it has become a lifestyle option.
"The signal should be that state homes are just a stepping-stone until people can work towards something better.
"This was what was envisaged when the scheme was set up but it has gone off the rails."
Mr Gosche said tenants who applied for income-related rents had to provide a comprehensive statement of their income, including that of any partner.
Figures the minister provided to Dr Newman show that the longest state tenancy was 63 years.
The average tenancy is just over 6 1/2 years and the average weekly rent $83.
State house rents are highest in Auckland. Averages range from $90 in Manurewa, Mt Roskill and Onehunga to the top rate of $97 in Mangere.
The cheapest average rents are in Invercargill ($65), West Coast ($65) and Wanganui ($67).
