8. Boarding Houses—Conditions and Exploitation of TenantsCARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Building and ConstructionBoarding Houses—Conditions and Exploitation of TenantsCARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am just seeking clarification on the transfer of this question from the Minister for Social Housing and was just wondering whether the Government is saying that boarding houses are not a form of emergency housing for which the Minister for Social Housing is responsible.Mr SPEAKER: I am aware that the question has been transferred. It is as I have mentioned many times the right of the Government to transfer a question. It is actually the responsibility of the Government to make sure the question goes to the Minister whom it considers is most responsible for the answer to be given. So the question will proceed to the Minister to whom it has been transferred unless the member would rather we not ask the question. It is her choice.8. CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Building and Construction: Does he agree that due to the housing crisis some boarding house landlords are exploiting vulnerable New Zealanders?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Building and Construction): Boarding houses have always accommodated more vulnerable tenants and they have featured regularly over the past 20 years in stories of exploitation. This Government has changed the tenancy law and has set up the new Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team in order to better protect vulnerable tenants in this type of accommodation.Carmel Sepuloni: Is the reason why he is answering the question and not the Minister for Social Housing that he believes that New Zealanders paying $250 a week to live in slum-like boarding houses is not an issue related to emergency housing or social housing availability?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: No because my ministerial responsibilities make me responsible for tenancy law which deals with the issues of standards and issues such as boarding houses and secondly I am responsible for the Building Act and the Building Act deals with sanitary and unsafe buildings.Carmel Sepuloni: Does he accept that as the housing crisis intensifies New Zealanders are becoming more and more desperate and are left with no choice but to live in their cars or slum-like boarding houses?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: No because we are now building over 30000 homes per year for the first time ever the Government is providing direct financial support for emergency housing and even last year the Government actually completed the construction of more homes than any Government has in more than 20 years.Maureen Pugh: What changes has the Government made to improve rental conditions for boarding house tenants?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The Government has made five changes in toughening up the standards required of boarding houses. Firstly from 1 July last year they were required to have smoke alarms. Secondly there is a specific requirement for them to declare the level of insulation and for all such residences to be insulated by 1 July 2019. Thirdly we have tightened the electrical safety requirements. Fourthly we have introduced the new enforcement regime with a Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team and fifthly we have strengthened the retaliatory provisions to ensure that tenants have the confidence to actually be able to hold landlords to account for meeting the housing regulations.Carmel Sepuloni: After 9 years of his Government why is there still no housing for boarding house tenants like Glen Sharman who said Personally I wouldn't live where I'm living now. Why am I? Because I've got nowhere else to go." and could this be because the number of State houses has reduced by 2500 under his Government's watch?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I do find the Opposition's figures around the number of State houses very dodgy because they exclude the number of houses that are transferred to the Tāmaki Redevelopment Company. The real question should be the number of social houses and members representing electorates all over New Zealand would know the degree to which the number of social houses being provided by not just Housing New Zealand but other agencies is expanding rapidly.Carmel Sepuloni: Will the Minister support the petition currently before the Social Services Committee to implement the recommendations from the 2014 inquiry into boarding houses; if not why is he content to see New Zealanders living in slums?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Quite the opposite. I have outlined the five different measures that this Government has taken to improve the regulation around boarding hostels. And I have to tell you that in every Parliament in the last two decades there have been issues with boarding houses. The only difference with this Government is we have actually done something about it."