In brief

State media portrays Kāinga Ora evictions as government failures, with no personal responsibility. But Kāinga Ora just provides the housing. The Ministry of Social Development arguably plays a bigger role.

The focus is often on where evicted tenants and their children would go, with emotional appeals overshadowing the impact on others, like law-abiding neighbours.

What would the public think if Kāinga Ora were to set up some sort of housing of last resort, and what sort of place would that be?

State media’s coverage of Kāinga Ora’s enforcement policies

Difficult tenants likely make up a small minority, as most of Kāinga Ora’s 185,000 tenants are law-abiding and good neighbours.

However, when the state is the landlord, evictions are framed as systemic failures, enforcement as heartless, and the government—not the tenant—is expected to fix the problem.

In 2023, when National campaigned on evicting problematic tenants, Q+A’s Jack Tame framed the issue around “where will they go?” rather than why eviction might be necessary.

More recently, Kāinga Ora announced plans to tighten enforcement on rent arrears, limiting overdue payments to 12 weeks before tenants face eviction. Yet, RNZ’s key takeaway was not that tenants had months of unpaid rent, but that Kāinga Ora lacks a plan for evicted tenants.

The role of MSD in housing allocation

We are not experts, but our understanding is that Kāinga Ora housing is allocated only to those who apply through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Further, the MSD assesses the tenant’s resources, which are factored into the rent charged and tenants often receive government funds that are expected to be used for rent.

If tenants are truly unable to meet their obligations, that is not supposed to be Kāinga Ora’s problem. It then needs to revert to other government programs, although that might take some initiative from the tenant.

Emotional appeals deflect from personal responsibility

Despite the clearly defined path through MSD, public discourse often veers from these concrete processes toward emotional appeals. While these appeals can spotlight important issues, they may also unfairly assign blame to Kāinga Ora when problems arise. The state media’s reasoning for the tenant-sympathetic narratives often appears to be rooted in a concern for children, not the harm suffered by law-abiding neighbours, and taxpayers.

The concern is valid, but by focusing on the plight of children in eviction cases, state media shifts the discussion away from why these tenants are causing issues in the first place.

RNZ coverage prioritises commentary from social advocates like FinCap policy advisor Jake Lilley, who argues that “chasing people for money they don’t have doesn’t make sense.” Sometimes the question has to be why don’t they have any money, especially if they have been given some for rent?

What’s missing?

While articles often feature criticisms of any type of enforcement policy, what’s missing from most coverage is a perspective from fiscal conservatives or even a government minister explaining the necessity of enforcing rental obligations to sustain social housing. Also often omitted are voices advocating for personal responsibility, leading to a one-sided narrative.

Voters must decide whether taxpayers should be responsible for providing housing in all cases, regardless of a tenant’s level of accountability—or lack thereof—and regardless of how many others in need are still waiting for a placement.

If Kāinga Ora, the most forgiving landlord, is removing them, what realistic housing options remain? The concern is that any alternative—such as dedicated lower-class housing for those evicted from their KO house—could deteriorate into slum-like conditions, requiring heavy security just to function.

It is understandable why Kāinga Ora would not want to create this last-stop housing, as it would be a target for perpetual negative publicity. But does anybody have any other suggestion that does not just amount to a free pass for the offending tenant?

It is much easier to criticise than to come up with a viable solution.

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