Settlement Bill. Tribunal
Tribunal Powers and Procedures Legislation
Legislation Bill, introduction. Courts Matters Bill.
Trusts Bill, introduction.
Those
Those bills are set down for reading. The House comes to
Oral Questions. Question No. 1.
My
My question is to the Prime
by his statement on the housing crisis
by his statement on the housing
it a crisis. We have strong demand,
we have an uplift
We have strong demand, these
these are good problems to
these are good problems
First
First of
First of all, can I congratulate the member on her new role as Leader of
the Opposition.
member on her new role as Leader of the Opposition. I stand by my full
statement on energy
housing special needs grants, which went on to say,
real need that may have been hidden before
real need that may have been hidden
is what's going to matter, and more emergency
is what's going to matter, and more
my statement that this...
..that this is the first government to ever invest directly in emergency
creating 8,000 places in transitional
Order! Before I call the member for a supplementary question,
I can appreciate that there may be cause
for a little bit of excitement
but there still has to be
a process by which questions are asked and
answers are heard. I'll accept
a reasonable amount of
interjection but if it gets to the stage
where it is unruly and causing problems, I
won't hesitate in asking some
members to leave the House. How
long has this issue been hidden for,
as he claims, when we now have
the worst homelessness in the
he claims, when we now have the
simply disagree with the member's assertion.
simply disagree with the member's
..around international comparisons. What's relevant for New Zealand is
that, in the face of what was
a sharply rising housing market that's
now calmed down a bit, we have
provided extensive
provided extensive emergency housing, of which there are today
1,500 places tenanted and available,
as well as expanded the Housing
First programme, which deals
with people who are actually
sleeping rough, because they
have nowhere that
rough, because they have nowhere
shelter. If it's not a crisis, how did his Government get into a
situation where it
needs to spend
Well, the Opposition can't have it both
Well, the Opposition can't have it
not doing enough but that it is spending
not doing enough but that it is
Order! The fact is that a
market driven mainly by big problems with our planning system means that
most affected and the Government has responded with extensive investment
in transitional
in transitional housing and housing for those who are actually living
in transitional housing and housing
who are actually sleeping rough. If the Government has responded as he
claims, why for every family he
expected to request
claims, why for every family he expected to request an emergency
housing grant did
expected to request an emergency
that mean the homelessness problem is
that mean the homelessness problem
that's all old news. That all happened last winter, when the
grants were put in place,
and it
It turned out there was strong demand for the grants. The next
step in dealing with rising housing costs
was announced in the Budget,
with the family incomes package,
where families with the highest housing
costs will, at 1 April next year, be
receiving in many cases
costs will, at 1 April next year, be
week more accommodation assistance to help them
with their housing costs.
to help them with their housing
a day to pick up a problem he still hasn't
Order! The problem has been addressed in a wide
number of ways, because it
addressed in a wide number of ways,
houses on the ground faster. That's why we work with councillors and
put up
why we work with councillors and put
infrastructure. More emergency housing, more social housing, and I
want to acknowledge the
support of Greens and New Zealand
First for the increases
increases in accommodation supplement which, on 1 April, will
help thousands of families with
their very high housing costs.
help thousands of families with their very high housing costs. Was
part of his plan to address
this issue in a wide number
of ways including selling state houses, so
that we now have 3,000 fewer social
houses today than when we
came into
Well, I want to thank the other parties for their support for
the reforms of state housing, because
reforms of state housing, because the
reforms of state housing, because
have shown that we have too many of the wrong sort of houses, in
poor condition, in the wrong places, and
this Government has grappled
with the complex task
of ensuring there is more appropriate social
housing and growing numbers of social houses
available to those who need them.
available to those who need them. Will he work with me to ensure that
everyone has an affordable
Will he work with me to ensure that everyone has an affordable, safe,
secure place to live by building
starter homes, by banning overseas
speculators, and by requiring
starter homes, by banning overseas speculators, and by requiring all
rentals to be warm and
speculators, and by requiring all
that's what all New Zealanders want this parliament to
Order! Well, overseas purchases of houses in New Zealand now have
to pay a withholding capital gains
tax when they sell it. They may be part
of the dampening effect on
the market as it is now. And
the other measures the member has
mentioned
regulation that all houses, by 2019, need to be insulated. Order!
need to be insulated. Order! Question No. 2.
My
My question is to the Minister
he received on confidence in
he received on confidence
Confidence in New Zealand's economy continues to be strong. ANZ
has released their business
outlook yesterday, showing
yesterday, showing business confidence rose on a
seasonally adjusted basis from
confidence rose on a seasonally