The Kāpiti Independent says the Labour Government should give Kiwis a Christmas present by declaring a ‘Housing Emergency’.

‘We say the overnment must do this, then act on all fronts to move tens of thousands of New Zealanders into decent homes every year from now on.

We say: “Please consider these ideas:

1. Work with NZ factories to get hundreds of kitset houses built in key areas. When NZ factories can supply them, but from China.

2. Identified dozens of sites owned by the Government or Councils as

potential State housing areas.

3. Organise temporary homes in special caravan paerks to deal with the

hardest-jhit familes and singletons — with the aim of moving them into

permanent accommodation later.

4. Pay older people with large homes a special subsidy to provide rooms for

lodgers.

5. Look at the possibility of hiring a couple of cruise liners ( plenty are

available) to moor in Auckland and Wellington for a couple of years to

house people with nowhere else to live.

6. Identify vacant houses in any sites the Government controls ( military

camps, schools, road construction sides, rural areas )

7. Set up an Emergency Housing Committee with your most able

Ministers to get action rolling before the Xmas holidays.

8. Be kind to the homeless for God’s sake!