Oops, it looks like Young Labour have been out on a fact finding mission proving that their Party has Kiwibuild costings all wrong. Cactus lampoons their one week goodwill tour where all their support can fit in just one van.
Day 2 - moved all the way to Onehunga and helped checked out a large site that could be better used by bulldozing and subdivided for housing. Offered to “help” them with their IT system by installing Lynn Prentice’s secret code from The Standard. Someone was on to them by the end of the day and escorted them all from the premises.
But I think the best bit was the genuine smiles and comments of appreciation from the team at the Community House when we were leaving.
You cannot make this up if you tried.
Day 6 - there was no pressure visiting Palmerston North, all the housing there is affordable as there is no demand whatsoever to permanently reside in such a hole. At one point there was much excitement as they thought they had found the remains of David Cunliffe. Then much disappointment when the bump actually turned out to be a time capsule planted from the trip last year that contained notes expressing how much they all thought David Shearer was a total wally. Reburied.
By day 7 they should have given up reporting the tour
Day 7 - visited the Habitat for Humanity with Kris, worked out that even one of these homes in a rathole like Porirua cost $150,000 to build with volunteer labour and discounted land donated materials. Much panic as the 15 year old on the trip did some maths and realised that the Leader’s office costings are fucked.
The houses take around 5000 hours to build using mostly volunteer hours and companies donate or discount building materials. They are built to a high standard, fully insulated and contain many energy efficiency measures such as shower domes which prevent the steam escaping your shower. We had a chance to tour a completed house next door and they are well built houses, that one costing only $150,000 to complete.
Lets hope this now leads to more honest costings by the Green Taliban and Labour and the realisation soon that if you want a house for $300,000 you are going to have to build it yourself in a community project. And live in a place like Porirua.
