Govt spent $11,000 on videos to promote scheme that housed 12 families

The Government spent $11,000 on videos to promote a housing scheme that has housed 12 families, it was revealed today. 

Housing Minister Megan Woods was criticised after publicly celebrating housing just 12 families in the Progressive Home Ownership Scheme which has been going for seven months, after it was originally announced in 2019. 

Last month, Woods released a video promoting the scheme. Woods today said that particular video cost $1,311 plus GST. 

It was part of five videos that cost in total $10,638, plus staff travel costs of $670.

The figure came out after Woods was questioned by National's Nicola Willis in the House today. 

Willis asked if she could justify spending more than $11,000 "on a promo video for a scheme that has only housed 12 families". 

"I will stand by spending $10,000 on a scheme that is going to help 1500 to 4000 families into home ownership who are otherwise locked out of it," Woods said. 

"To say such a scheme is a game changer will be a difficult pill for the thousands of people on the public housing wait list, or the thousands of young Kiwis struggling to get into a home," Willis said later in the day.  

Woods said she spent three minutes doing the "piece to camera" in the video shared on her Twitter account, adding the drone footage in the video was already on file and told Willis to "move beyond some sideshows".