Housing reform Cabinet papers embarrassingly candid

John Key.

The Finance Minister has been a vital and much-needed driving force in the backrooms of the Beehive where ministers and departmental officials thrash out the policy detail so that National's reforms actually work in the way intended.

In particular, Mr English pushed hard for meaningful welfare reform.

His other major target is state housing.

The latter is a fundamental component of what remains of last century's welfare state.

It is a safety net.

It is a Labour Party icon that has somehow survived National's attempts to dismantle it.

Mr English has long wanted to replace it with a more market-oriented system which, in theory, should be more responsive, more flexible and thus more cost-efficient when it comes to meeting the needs of both tenants and landlords than the current provider, Housing New Zealand, which enjoys a state-sanctioned near monopoly.

But constructing such a market seems to be proving to be far more difficult than envisaged.

It has taken four years to reach the point where the Prime Minister could release broad details of the plan.

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Housing reform Cabinet papers embarrassingly candid