MP self interest barrier to housing action 03 Aug 2021 14:15 PM More Related Stories HASH(0x2ada348) A veteran political strategist says politicians don’t have the guts to solve housing problems. Unionist Matt McCarten says wages are too low, rents are too high, and the system is biased towards property owners - even those who prefer to leave houses empty while they count up tax free capital gains, like the 40,000 so-called ghost houses in Auckland. He says most MPs own one or more houses, and like many owners they separate themselves from the problem by putting them in the hands of property managers.