Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye has launched a campaign to put the spotlight on the body corporate sector.
Opposition MPs Judith Collins and Nikki Kaye are hailing as successful about 500 signatures on their parliamentary petition to overhaul apartment laws.
The two are pushing harder to get more people to sign their petition, issuing a statement today claiming momentum is building to reform the Unit Titles Act, with"almost 500 people lending their support to a petition calling for change".
Three months ago, they announced the petition to try to get the Government to take action on the sector, estimated to be worth about $50 billion, with apartments, townhouses and other big multi-unit complexes involved.
Collins is National's housing spokeswoman and Kaye is the Auckland Central MP, representing the country's most intensively developed urban area, home to thousands of apartments.
Much at stake in the $50b sector, the politicians say. Photo / file
Two years ago, the politicians proposed the Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Bill.
In 2018, the then-Housing Minister Phil Twyford thanked the pair for their draft bill but said that much more work was needed and he would not be taking the proposal forward, although reform was planned "in due course" when priorities and resources allowed.
• Improve information available to prospective unit buyers; • Strengthen bodies corporate governance; • Increase body corporate managers' professionalism and standards; • Demand long-term maintenance project planning and funding was adequate and proportionate to the size of complexes or properties.
Kaye said today: "This is particularly important for areas like Auckland Central where the numbers of multi-unit housing developments and unit titles has increased dramatically in the past few years. It is my intention to hold a meeting of body corporate chairs and body corporate managers in Auckland central to discuss further steps to push for change."
Kaye regrets that the bill hasn't been adopted by the Government but said ongoing public support for change was crucial.
Collins said: "It's important we have robust laws for those who own or want to buy apartments. It's encouraging that over 500 people have already added their signatures, and I ask that anyone with an interest in better rules for apartments and body corporates does so before January 30."
