Candidate Inoke Afeaki answers Renters United’s questions

VOTE HOUSING: LOCAL BODY 2022

Renters United asked every candidate in the Paekawakawa/Southern Ward 17 questions about the issues that most concern renters in their ward. Here are Inoke Afeaki’s responses in full.

Rapid fire questions

Are you a renter? No
Do you own any properties? No
Do you support the Renters United Healthy Homes Commitment? Yes
Do you commit to funding tenant advocacy? Yes
Do you support councils retaining ownership an expanding supply of council housing? Yes
Will you lobby for IRRS to be extended to councils? Yes
Do you commit to densifying inner city suburbs? Yes
Will you commit to using your platform to abolish the ratepayers roll? No

Stable homes

What actions would you take to improve stability and security for private renters?
Tenant Profile, high rating tenants earn council gifts which gets its funding from Rate Payers

How will you ensure all council tenants have security of tenure?

3rd Party entity to monitor complaints. Honours Students at Victoria University Law Faculty may want to be the 3rd Party, while being mentored by Interested Law Firms that want to secure these top students.

What steps will you take to end homelessness in Wellington?

Construction Industry to utilise Broader Outcomes push from Government and use repurposed building material to build an emergency town in the Southern Ward Valleys facing North which are plentiful and is has a micro environment like Nelson

Meaningful enforcement

If elected, would you take steps to tackle persistent bad landlords who do not meet their obligations to renters in your area? If so, what?
Yes, Profile the Landlord and let prospective Tenants know the likely relationship

What do you think Council should do to address power imbalance between landlords and tenants? If nothing, why?
Profile to be compiled by trusted observers who are objective. Measures on objective measures can also be standardised to pick the best objective observers.

Fair rent

Would you advocate for additional powers or resources from Central Government to address the housing crisis (such as legislating for Rent Control), if so what and how?

I don’t know enough of the current market, but the lever could be that Government pay…say 1/4 of rent for under 30 year olds, that savings go into Kiwi Save to help get under 30’s onto the Property Market. That 1/4 will also drive Government to push the Landlord to drop their rental rate with what ever lever they can find.

What do you think are the main reasons rents in Wellington are increasing? How would you ensure rents in Wellington are affordable?

profit margin needs to be maintained

Safe and healthy homes

What actions (in contrast to or in conjunction with our Healthy Homes Commitment) would you take to improve the quality of private rental housing in your ward and in your city?

Building Standards need to be high. Those that are not up to standard cannot be asking for full rent.

Anything else you want to share?

Small/Tiny Homes, invest it that ASAP

If you are a candidate or representative of a candidate and wish to correct or elaborate on the information please contact lbe22@rentersunited.org.nz.

Authorised by Geordie Rogers, geordie@rentersunited.org.nz

About the author:

rentersunited

In: Elections 2022, Wellington. .