10 Sep 2008

Housing policy seen as privatisation in disguise

6:06 am on 10 September 2008

Labour says a National Party plan to offer state house tenants the opportunity to buy their home is privatisation in disguise.

National has brought forward the release of its housing policy following the leaking of three other policies by the Labour Party.

It's promising to boost funding for state housing upgrades, continue with a shared equity pilot programme and introduce a scheme to develop public land for first-home buyers.

But Housing Minister Maryann Street says offering homes to state tenants is unrealistic. She says there's a danger it would leach into the developer sector as it did when National was last in power.

National says it will maintain the state housing stock by reinvesting money from sales in replacement houses.