28781 (2025). Takutai Tarsh Kemp to the Associate Minister of Housing

28781 (2025). Takutai Tarsh Kemp to the Associate Minister of Housing: What steps, if any, have been taken by the Minister since June 2024 to assess the impact of rent increases on minimum wage earners?

Hon Tama Potaka: I receive regular reporting on rental market activity, including prices. The Government is committed to improving housing affordability and outcomes, for example through work to enable more housing supply. Since November 2023, the rate of annual rental inflation for new private tenancies has fallen significantly. In the year to April 2025 (HUD RPI Flow measure, most recent data available) annual rental inflation for new private tenancies was -0.7%, compared with 5.5% in the year to November 2023 (Stats RPI Flow measure). The impact being good for renters, including minimum wage earners.