Estimates Debate — Vote Housing

It has been a delight to manage the housing portfolio over the last 9 or 10 months. The gains that we have made are quite tangible and I will go through them, dividing them into two groups. One group is the initiatives that National campaigned on and that this Government led by John Key is pursuing. They are issues that Labour never thought of. We have gone ahead and pursued those. They are in the first list. The second list is issues that Labour talked about for 9 years and campaigned on, but never did anything about. The two lists are what National campaigned on and have achieved, and what Labour campaigned on and never did, but National has achieved.

I will recap with regard to the housing portfolio over the last decade or so. One particular matter is that the previous Labour Government increased the number of State houses available for State house tenants knocking on the door of the Housing New Zealand Corporation, and that is a good thing. I reiterate that under a National-led Government we intend also to increase the net number of State houses by about 1,550 over 4 years, and that is laid out in the Budget. People will see an increase in the net number of State houses available for tenants in this country. Is it the same number that might have arisen under a Labour Government? Probably not. Labour may have done more, but then its priorities are different. Our priorities fall into three categories. First, we are increasing the number of State houses, particularly during a time when many families are under stress and more people are coming to the Housing New Zealand Corporation for help during the downturn. Secondly, we want to upgrade the State housing stock, which has fallen into serious disrepair. Thirdly, as I announced today, we have the Options and Advice Service. As the Minister in the previous Government said, the corporation never has housed, and cannot house, everyone who knocks on its door. The previous Government admitted this and said that those in the C priority and D priority categories may never be housed by the corporation. I would not necessarily echo that view, but that is what it said. The number of State houses will increase.

When I walked into the portfolio, I knew that one of the issues was that State houses were in serious disrepair across the country—not all of them, but many were—and that many State house tenants were living in slum conditions. But I never knew that the problem was as big as it was until it was laid out to me as an incoming Minister, and I never knew the reason for it. Apparently, over the last decade, a deficit of about $2 billion in maintenance spending on Housing New Zealand Corporation properties had accumulated. In other words, the previous Government decided to use the funding set aside for the upgrade of State houses and their maintenance to get more State houses. That Government was happy to get more State houses for new tenants, but not to look after the State houses that current tenants were living in. One can argue the rights and wrongs of that, but this National Government has said clearly that it is not prepared to be a slum landlord. We will upgrade the State housing stock over time and add new houses to the portfolio. That is where the capital injection of $124.5 million of stimulus spend came in. We said that we would like to insulate State houses top and bottom; put clean heating devices into State houses; upgrade kitchens and bathrooms; add rooms; and do all the house repairs, roofing repairs, and underfloor repairs as much as possible in the next 18 months. Why? First, because we do not want to be a slum landlord and we want State house tenants to live in decent conditions, and, secondly, we want to stimulate the construction sector and provide jobs. We did that, and we are delighted.

The Options and Advice Service, which was announced today, is another approach. As well as increasing the number of State houses and upgrading State houses, we have the Options and Advice Service. That service is where State house tenants who may wish to purchase the home that they have been living in all their lives and who might like to move into homeownership can go. It might be that someone approaches the corporation and does not realise that he or she can get the accommodation supplement and rent privately. We are now able to help those people through the Options and Advice Service.

I will move now to the second list: the list of a whole bunch of stuff that Labour promised to do but it never did any of it. National is now doing those things. The first item is the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill. In 2002 Labour started to look at the Residential Tenancies Act and bring in a significant amendment bill. It never did it. There was never a bill and legislation was never passed under the previous Labour Government, after 7 years of those members talking about it. I am intrigued to know whether Labour supports the legislation now that National has finally brought it forward, because one of the things that we are doing in the legislation is bringing boarding houses under the Residential Tenancies Act, so that boarding house tenants can be protected. I will be very surprised indeed if the Labour Party votes against that. It is very important that boarding houses are brought under the Residential Tenancies Act.

💬 Moana Mackey: It’s our bill. We wrote it.

The Labour member said that it is those members’ bill. It is. It sat in their bottom drawer for 7 years, and they did nothing. Hobsonville is an area in Auckland where Labour, since 2002, had promised State houses and new houses for first-home buyers. When we came into Government 7 years later we discovered that not a single State house had been built. There was not a single house for a new homeowner. There were no earthworks and no consents. In fact, there had been 7 years of talking and no action whatsoever. I tell members that we have the consents, that earthworks are about to begin, and that first-home buyers will find opportunities in Hobsonville.

Lastly, the previous Government talked about insulating private homes. Labour members reckoned it would cost $1 billion over 15 years. It was not funded and not delivered. It was pie-in-the-sky stuff. What did John Key do? He provided $323 million—close to a third of a billion dollars—to insulate private homes across New Zealand. For the owners of any house built before 2000 that does not have underfloor insulation, insulation in the ceiling, or clean heating, a capital pool of $323 million is available to them. What a delight it is to hear the phones ringing, to see the emails coming in, and to receive the thank you letters addressed to Gerry Brownlee, John Key, and me saying what a great idea it is. Private homeowners are also shivering in the cold. The previous Government talked about insulation for a decade. Finally we are seeing some cash and we can upgrade our State houses. I am overwhelmed by what John Key has done and has given me the opportunity to do, which is to say that Labour made all these promises for 9 years and we are delivering on them. It is an absolute delight. It is a delight to deliver on our policies. It is a delight to deliver on Labour’s policies. It would be nice if members opposite could give us a list of all the other things that they will talk, talk, and talk about, have focus groups about, have committees about, and call inquiries about, so we could deliver on them. That is what we do. We are not about talk; we are about delivery. We are about housing vulnerable New Zealanders, everyday New Zealanders, because we do not want them living on the streets or living in the cold.

Vote agreed to.

Vote Women’s Affairs agreed to.

Vote Immigration