Public Housing Futures Campaign w/ Public Housing Futures' Vanessa Cole: 4 September, 2025

Kainga Ora, New Zealand’s state housing provider has been subject to deep cuts under the current coalition Government. Current housing demand demonstrates that nationally nearly 30,000 houses are required. However, most developments that were in Kainga Ora’s pipeline have since been cancelled with the most recent cut coming in Whanganui where 138 planned houses have now been cut down to 7. 

This comes at the same time as the Government is trying to stimulate a sluggish housing market by offering tax incentives to property owners, lowering interest rates and opening up New Zealand’s housing market to overseas investors. This in the hopes that private developers and the market can cater to high levels of demand.

Producer Sanat talked to Vanessa Cole from the Public Housing futures campaign, a group that is trying to halt the deep cuts that are currently being experienced by Kainga Ora.