The government could not be reached for comment but RNZ Pacific correspondent, Kalafi Moala, said the plan seemed to be an election ploy ahead of next year's vote.
Moala said the talk of 20,000 houses being provided was odd, given it was probably more than currently existed across the country.
The 2011 census stated there were just over 18,000 private households in the kingdom.
Moala said the initial focus had been on repairing and replacing houses damaged by 2018's Cyclone Gita.
