State house tenants in Christchurch have described the news their home won't be sold as the best Christmas present.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
The government has kept an election promise by putting an end to the mass sell-off of Housing New Zealand stock.
Yesterday's announcement by Housing Minister Phil Twyford meant people living in 2500 state homes across Christchurch won't be getting a new landlord.
Those homes were due to be sold by the middle of next year to community social housing providers, but would now stay in government hands.
Gail Scott had been living in one of those homes more than 20 years, and led the fight against the National Party's plans to sell them.
She said the news is a great Christmas present, and it makes people feel settled.
Naenae Higgs worked with Gail Scott on the campaign to stop the houses being sold.
Ms Higgs hasn't lived in a state house for six months but said those who do are very happy, and very relieved.
"Just before Christmas the last thing you want to stress about is your home."
She said up until yesterday's announcement she wasn't sure Labour would keep its promise.
"These tenants have been pushed from pillar to post told this is going to work for them they're going to do that for them, and it's never come through.
"When we first got the new government I was so happy - I was slightly suprised to be honest when Winston went the way he did- but then this happened and I was like 'wow they actually are going to do what they say they're going to do'."
Naenae Higgs said she believed the National government was just trying to make money by selling the houses.
The news was also welcomed by the Bishop of Christchurch, Victoria Matthews.
She said people living in state houses had been fearing for their future, and now they would feel more secure.
"What we really need to focus on in Christchurch is to build up the sense of community, and when there is a sense of not knowing what tomorrow may bring that's impossible, so I really do applaud this."
Victoria Matthews said it was the first step to addressing what she said was a housing crisis in New Zealand.
The move was being slated by National's housing spokesman Michael Woodhouse.
He said it was a backward step for the people the government wanted to support.
Mr Woodhouse said now fewer state houses would be built.
"The arrangements we were making with organisations like the interested parties for the 2500 homes in Christchurch, and the partnerships that we'd set up for social housing provision with the Auckland City Mission and others in the Auckland area were going to create more houses than the government alone could provide."
Michael Woodhouse said tenants didn't care who their landlord was, as long as they treated them well.