Alliance Council candidate slams Manji’s past record on social housing

Tom Roud, the Alliance Party candidate for Central Ward, is taking a firm stance on housing, and is putting the spotlight on former Councillor Raf Manji’s past attempts to dismantle social housing in Christchurch.

“We need to be clear about what’s at stake in this election,” says Mr Roud.

“In 2014, Raf Manji called it the ‘perfect time’ for the council to sell off its social housing. We can only imagine the disastrous impact on homelessness and housing affordability had he succeeded.”

In 2014, as Council finance committee chairman, Mr Manji pushed for the council to leave the social housing sector entirely, labelling investment in affordable housing as “unwise at best and financially imprudent at worst.”

“Thank goodness he failed,” Mr Roud says.

“Instead, we now have the Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (ŌCHT), the largest council-owned community housing provider in the country and the envy of other cities. Had Mr Manji’s vision of privatisation won out, the housing crisis in Christchurch would be far worse.”

Mr Roud says he was also disappointed with recent comments from fellow Central Ward candidate Hayley Guglietta defending Airbnbs.

“Short-term rentals deprive our communities of neighbours and residents, leaving people isolated while putting upward pressure on rents. Unlike hotels, they provide next to no local employment. We cannot incentivise developers to build housing designed for short term stays, we need housing that functions as homes for our people.”

Mr Roud is advocating for a significant increase in resources for ŌCHT, an investigation into expanding eligibility for social housing, and better regulation of Airbnbs and unoccupied homes in the central city.

“If we can build a stadium for the better part of a billion dollars, we can and must address homelessness and housing affordability. It’s about priorities. My priority is housing our residents, not selling them out.”