MikeB4:

The government is not and should not be a building company. It is however an enabler and that should be it's task.

 

This I agree with.  In my conception an enabler clears the path ahead of talented people so they can do their job. 

There is a market for cheaper hosing but various factors prevent it.  Many of these factors are regulatory - RMA and local govt.  So they should be addressing those.

But when I saw Jenny Salesa (Minster Building and Construction, Assoc. Housing and Urban Development) on The Nation at the weekend, all she could say was that the govt was investing in training of young people.  While that's laudable and will in the medium term address workforce shortages it's not going to contribute much to the kiwi-build targets.

It almost didn't matter what the question was her answer was "We are training young people". Now perhaps this is something she is very passionate about.  But she couldn't answer pretty basic and important questions about kiwi build.  I'm not sure they have a plan yet.

The gossip in Welly is that govt has diverted significant human and financial resources into trying to find land for houses and trees.  It sounds like a bit of a mad scramble.