It's a signal that ministers want fast action. But there's an obvious tension between this drive for speed and the need to win community support. Ministers now admit that the first stage of redevelopment in northern Glen Innes was handled badly. In that process, still going on, Housing NZ is removing or demolishing 156 houses, selling the vacant sites to a private consortium, and buying back 78 of the 260-plus new homes being built on the land.
Tenants have been forced to leave their homes before new houses were built for them. The result has been bitter protests.
The redevelopment company is now doing it better. It has been asking residents what they want, and building childcare centres and other facilities that people ask for.
But the residents have not been asked if they wanted the company to be their new landlord. Even the company did not ask to take over existing houses, but it has agreed to do so because of the Government's rush to build new houses.
Auckland does need new affordable houses quickly, and it's good that ministers have learned that it requires money.
But if the houses are imposed again on powerless tenants against their will, we will have learned only one of the two lessons we need to learn.