More on state housing

National's response to the shortage of state housing is to "think outside the square" and sell some houses off. Apart from being a classic case of managementspeak ("thinking outside the square" apparantly meaning "conforming to tired ideology"), it also makes little sense. Yes, the government could sell some houses to free up capital to build more - or it could use its ability to issue cheap credit to build without having to decrease its existing stock. It's not as if mortgages are completely unknown in the housing industry...

Their other suggestion - that Housing New Zealand should lease homes from private owners - seems simply to be a way of funneling public money into private pockets, and hopefully will be treated with the contempt it deserves.