The political opinions of Guy Williams' aunt and uncle are "accidentally comedic", much like Paula Bennett's opinions on beneficiaries and the housing crisis, says Williams.

OPINION: I would describe my Aunty's and Uncle's politics as "accidentally comedic". They immigrated to New Zealand 20 years ago from Canada and bought a house. Now they complain about British immigrants coming here and buying houses.

It's like former beneficiary Paula Bennett complaining about beneficiaries.

He reckons that Asians are "sucking up the golf coaching!" I often tease him that "I could have made the NBA if it wasn't for LeBron James sucking up all the basketball tutelage".

Supplied Guy Williams: this column is aimed at my aunt and uncle.

She's reading an anti-climate change book because her doctor told her that "science isn't truth." Her new doctor is sceptical about science! That's like meeting a bus driver who doesn't believe in the road code. Or Minister of Social Housing who doesn't think there's a housing crisis. (Sorry Paula, you're an easy target).

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When at one family dinner, I mentioned that poverty should have been a bigger issue in the election, I quickly realised that I had opened the floodgates of hell.

They said I shouldn't talk about politics because "I don't understand them". When I reminded them I studied politics at University, they said that I'm "out of touch". I was at their house in Remuera when they told me this.

They hit me with a Newstalk ZB classic, up there with the Asian golf coaching line: "If you want to see real poverty, go to Africa". Obviously, poverty is relative, and that's what makes New Zealand's situation so strange. We can easily afford to do something about it, and we're not doing enough.

So how do you impress on someone that maybe not all of New Zealand is doing as well as Remuera? That maybe New Zealand isn't going great for everyone? I tried an argument technique that almost never works: facts.

The United Nations ranks New Zealand 34 out of 41 developed countries for "child wellbeing". That's behind Greece and Lithuania!

Every time I see Greece on the news, people are setting cars on fire because their economy is collapsing. And Lithuania? Call me an idealist, but I've always maintained that New Zealand shouldn't be doing worse than any country with a name that ends in "ania" or "stan".

The NZ Herald reports that each year on average 20 children die and 30,000 are hospitalised every year in New Zealand from preventable, housing-related diseases such as pneumonia. Pneumonia! In 2017! When I was a kid, my parents used to joke about pneumonia when we were a bit cold, like it was the black plague… It's back!

According to the UN, 11 per cent of Kiwi children under 15 live in homes with "food insecurity", and we have the worst teen suicide rate in the developed world. When I told my family this, my Aunt paused and I thought I had made a breakthrough. No, she responded with almost perfect comedic timing: "I don't trust statistics!" You don't trust statistics? From the United Nations? Like your doctor doesn't trust science?

Who do you trust? Oprah? Hosking? The Chanui tea man? He guarantees it will be the best tea you ever tasted - why would he lie?

One more stat: According to Yale University, "40,000 people live on the streets or in emergency housing or substandard shelters" in New Zealand, which means that we have the highest rate of homelessness in the OECD. This really debunks the theory that New Zealand always finishes third.

My relatives' response was "some homeless people choose to be homeless". At this point, I basically yelled: "Oh yeah! They're livin' la vida loca!" Even if some people do choose to be homeless, who is choosing to live in emergency housing, and does "voluntary homelessness" explain the highest rate in the OECD? This is New Zealand, and we're normalising poverty instead of fighting it.

The debate was tense, clearly, there was a rift in the room. Both sides needed to finish strong ,so my Uncle closed with this gem: "The irony is that all these people, Metiria Turei and Marama Fox who claim to be so big on poverty, aren't even in Government! They're just throwing mud from the outside." That's exactly what I said is the problem! Arrggh!

I thought I was heading towards becoming another alarming statistic in New Zealand's underfunded mental health system. I had to leave, I told them to "think about all the weird things you've said tonight." And he said, "no!" I told them, "maybe find a different doctor" he agreed, apparently their anti-science doctor isn't really helping.

She calmed me down: "Well, if you care so much, then why don't you write one of your columns about it?"