Prior to the October 2014 election, Prime Minister Key promised that there will be no further asset sales.
After the election, he announced an intention to possibly sell billions of dollars in public housing to use the sales to buy new public housing in other parts of New Zealand, such as in the suburbs and the perimeter of cities.
This was immediately denounced by the opposition as a broken election promise. Apparently a promise not to sell any further state owned enterprises is now interpreted not to sell any assets in the government balance sheet.
Journalists swallowed this criticism of the opposition, hook, line and sinker. The media seems to think that buying and selling of surplus government assets by Housing New Zealand and other social agencies is somehow unusual or new.
Any sensible observer would think it would be barmy for Housing New Zealand to have a whole bunch of old, rundown public houses purchased in the middle of the 20th century in the inner cities that are now worth a million of dollars each and not consider selling them.
These million-dollar public houses could be sold to finance the construction or purchase of several new houses for social housing purposes out in the suburbs.
What is the purpose of public housing? It is supposed to have something to do with helping the poor.
That would include managing the stock of public houses so that inner-city houses now worth a fortune are sold to finance more houses in the suburbs where most of the poor live.
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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