KEY POINTS:
New Housing Minister Maryan Street is advancing a plan to build 3000 new homes on Housing New Zealand land in the Tamaki suburbs of Glen Innes, Pt England and Panmure.
Ms Street plans to meet Auckland City councillors next week to discuss the next stage of turning the
predominantly state house suburbs into a mix of state houses, affordable homes and some upmarket properties.
Talks will also be held with the Auckland Regional Council about its involvement in the plan to provide more intensive development and reduce the concentration of state housing from 55 per cent to the low 30s.
Housing New Zealand chairman Pat Snedden will call on the ARC. He chairs the Tamaki Establishment Board, made up of central and local government officials, set up to advance the plan.
Ms Street said yesterday that the Tamaki project was the most ambitious urban redevelopment scheme in New Zealand. It planned to turn the socially troubled suburbs of Tamaki into a vibrant, safe and attractive place to live over 20 years.
"If you have got a mixed community, you are more likely to have a safe, stable and harmonious community.
"At the same time we want to improve transport, education and healthcare infrastructure and services, stimulating better employment and economic opportunities," she said.
Plans by Auckland City for high-density housing in Tamaki and the announcement in 2006 by the Housing Minister at the time, Chris Carter, for 3000 new homes have met a mixed response. Some people believe it will be a social disaster and bring more crime to the area.
Housing Lobby spokeswoman and Glen Innes resident Sue Henry said the priority should be addressing the local problems of violence and substance abuse.
Ms Henry, a vocal critic of intensive housing, said: "We need more space for big families, not less."
Maryan Street said the critical message she had for existing state tenants was that they would keep their existing homes or get a new home. Extensive consultation would take place once there was a clearer understanding of the options.
She said the Government had no fixed views on the proportion of new state homes, homes for first-home buyers, affordable homes and homes on the open market.
But she said the Labour-led Government wanted to increase opportunities for young families to buy their first home.
The National MP for Tamaki, Allan Peachey, said he supported the redevelopment but was worried left-wing ideology would derail more private sector housing.
National Party housing spokesman Phil Heatley said Ms Street's plan was typical Labour - more committees, consultation going round in circles and achieving very little.
"The best thing you could do is allow state tenants, if they can afford it, to buy their own homes. The money would then be reinvested through Housing New Zealand into new homes for other needy families."
