If NZ$1 billion was invested annually over the next 10 years, then New Zealand will experience a 'significant and far-reaching' impact on the social, health and income support structure, according to a new report released by the Salvation Army.
Major Campbell Roberts, Director of the Salvation Army for the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory in the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, said that housing was critical to society and the lack of it was causing problems within the community.
"You only have to look at the escalating number of social problems that are appearing in our courts to see the negative impact that this lack of investment in affordable housing is having in our society," he said.
The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, a Council representing six denominations, also weighed into the discussion saying that large-scale investment in social housing was needed to further reduce poverty in the country, reported Onenews a local New Zealand publication.
The 79-page study "Rebuilding the Kiwi Dream – a proposal for affordable housing in New Zealand" believes there is an opportunity now to fundamentally reshape New Zealand's housing structure over the next decade, at an affordable price.