Damian has been working in the leadership team of a K-Road-based construction software start-up for the past five years. He has worked with a diverse group of people across New Zealand and Australia who all share one common struggle: unaffordable housing. It is housing - specifically The Opportunities Party (TOP)’s progressive Land Value Tax policy - that led to Damian running for TOP in the Auckland Central electorate.
Damian’s palpable passion for affordable housing started four years ago when he bought his first house. It was the cheapest house he could find in the neighbourhood he wanted to live in. Since then, most of his free time and energy has been spent on trying to make the home liveable for himself, his partner, and their three-year-old son.
Damian knows he’s not alone: for the younger generations of Kiwis, housing is often prohibitively expensive, and if they are lucky enough to buy a house, it either needs a lot of work, is in a flood-prone area, or is a lengthy commute from work. This predicament leaves many of his peers either giving up on owning a home or moving out of the country.
The major political parties are not prepared to make necessary changes that would enable future generations to access the stability, familiarity, community, and resilience of owning their own home. Damian wants to change this. Damian strongly believes TOP’s proposed Land Value Tax is the best way to encourage better use of land in New Zealand.