Housing New Zealand Ltd: Privatisation by Stealth

Like a number of other capitalist countries, New Zealand has recently undergone considerable economic restructuring. As part of this process, and representing a major policy redirection, the state has introduced a process of corporatisation and privatisation into the social service sector. In this paper we examine the processes involved in the shift from social rented housing to the emergence of a state-owned, commercially-oriented company, Housing New Zealand Ltd. We propose that the policy changes are ill-conceived, risking fiscal blowout for the state, and are likely to increase the marginalisation and poverty of tenants.