Election 2017: the housing round up

National has announced a fully-costed housing plan which will see 100,000 new homes built over the next three years and 200,000 over the next six years. The Crown Building Project, which will deliver 34,000 homes to Auckland over the next 10 years, is part of this.

To assist with this plan, the party will make it easier to find land for new builds and introduce new fit-for-purpose urban planning laws separate from the Resource Management Act to encourage more responsive planning and faster development.

The party wants to boost infrastructure provision to support residential development. To this end, it has established the $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund to support councils in high-growth areas to build infrastructure for large housing subdivisions.

National recently announced it will double the financial support available for first-home buyers of existing houses and increase it for new builds. It will help first home buyers access KiwiSaver savings, HomeStart grants and Welcome Home Loans.