The Maori Party plans to make a warrant of fitness for all rental properties compulsory within three years.
The party announced its housing policy in Whangarei yesterday.
It includes supporting whanau who are on the benefit, to contribute a weekly lump sum, to go towards a deposit on a home.
It also wants to better support the transfer of state houses to iwi and hapu, so that they are responsible for their own communities, and will be able to provide other social services to those tenants.
Te Tai Tokerau candidate Te Hira Paenga said it was looking at coming up with a package to help whanau put money aside for financial assistance from Work and Income, to accumulate a deposit for their own whare.
He said it was heartbreaking watching generation after generation in state houses, and that needed to change.
