State Housing

State Housing

Samples from a Labour Party booklet on State Housing contained in the Nash collection.

In 1936, a year after being elected, New Zealand's first Labour government, wanting to provide homes and stability for people left jobless after the Depression, launched a major state housing scheme. Walter Nash, as Finance Minister, announced in the Budget that 5000 state houses would be built. The government loaned money for private house purchases and built houses for the public to rent.

In 1937 the first families moved into their state houses, including the Mcgregors at 12 Fife Lane, Miramar, Wellington, who were the first to move in, amid great fanfare. By 1939 5000 state houses had been built, and this had increased to 30,000 by 1949. In 1948 a Maori Housing Scheme had also been established.

When the National Party came to power in 1949 they promoted sale of state houses to tenants for the first time. By 1978 100,000 state houses had been completed.

Nowadays, State Housing is not so prominent. In the 1990s the National government sold state houses, while keeping a reduced state housing programme. The latest in New Zealand's social housing lineage is Housing New Zealand Corporation, formed in 2001.

Archival reference: R22850381, folio 26