It’s about the policy, not the people

The 24 year old couple who won the Kiwibuild lottery did nothing wrong. They are in the same situation as the multi millionaire who still claims their NZ Super, or the Deputy Prime Minister who claims his winter energy payment. If the Government hands out free money, or subsidised houses, then of course you’re going to say yes. You’re stupid not to.

I’ll claim NZ Super when I’m 65 as I’m not a moron. If I qualified for Kiwibuild, then I’d enter the lottery. If I won the lottery I’d move into the Kiwibuild house for three years and then sell it for a nice $200,000 profit.

But if the Government holds this couple up up as the poster child family for a policy, then it is entirely legitimate to point out that the policy is daft and badly targeted, as Judith Collins and others (including me) have done.

Kiwibuild was billed as helping middle income kiwis who can’t afford a house.

No one ever thought it would be giving a 24 year old couple a cheap four bedroom house. How many 24 year old couples have ever been able to buy a four bedroom house? You normally start small and build up.

People thought it would be helping middle income New Zealanders. Now they qualify under the criteria because their current income is under $180,000.But that is because they are only 24 years old. In a few years their income will probably be in the top 1%.

One of them is a doctor and the other a marketer. Income data shows that their likely lifetime income premium, compared to someone who didn’t go to university, is $3.6 million and $2.0 million. So a combined income premium of $5.6 million.

National would not be doing their job if they didn’t point out that the Kiwibuild criteria and policy are so badly designed that Kiwibuild houses are not in any way being allocated on need, but sheer luck.

Again the couple did nothing wrong entering the Kiwibuild lottery, and winning.

But the Government decided to promote them as a poster child family for the policy. The Government is responsible for the scrutiny that goes with that. They are just going on the attack and smearing Judith Collins because they know that the more scrutiny of Kiwibuild there is, the worse it looks in terms of assisting needy families.