A superb example of housing by the private sector:

A local housing company, owned by Israel Cooper, has been providing housing to Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand for the past 10 years. Israel is an ethical man with huge energy. I really enjoyed what he wrote this week in his firm’s email. Megan Woods should consider that this is one firm which has repaired or built over 4500 homes. Israel works closely with the Community Sector.

Here is the article:

In the ten years since the devastating events of 22nd of February 2011, Home has repaired or rebuilt over 4,500 homes. It’s no wonder looking back on the last 10 years, many of us feel somewhat exhausted. While Christchurch is essentially back on its feet, it is a different city to what it was previously, and it always will be. That’s the effect of disasters, they change us. For better or worse, loss and trauma force change. Thankfully the people of Christchurch have had the resilience, tenacity and passion over the last 10 years to ensure the changes to the city have largely been for the better.

On the eve of another decade, another disaster faces our country. This time it is not isolated to just Christchurch, but spread across nearly every town and city in our nation. Like that day in February when the earth shook Christchurch, families and individuals are once again being forced out of their homes, communities and whenua. This time it is not Mother Nature who is responsible for the disaster, but ourselves. There is now nowhere in New Zealand that remains untouched by the relentless advance of social and economic displacement.

The current housing crisis is not something that’s happening to those on the margins. It is also profoundly affecting tens of thousands of working-class kiwi families and their children. Housing that is not secure, healthy or affordable is our nation’s greatest social and economic challenge.

But like earthquake-struck Christchurch, we now have an opportunity to bring about transformational change to New Zealand’s housing market. Because regardless of the course we choose, change will happen. So as we have proven as a nation many times before, let us muster our resilience, our tenacity, our passion, and get to work. For there remains much good work to do.

Israel Cooper