Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:641;Page:11568] 
8.  
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: Does he have confidence in Housing New Zealand Corporation; if so why? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 Yes; but there is always room for improvement. 
Phil Heatley 
: What were the conclusions of the corporation’s internal investigation report that was due in late July regarding allegations of corruption with insider help for the State house tenant who sublet his State house while owning a beach house in the Bay of Islands and will he release that report? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I will release that report. But as is usual with that member of course we get only half the truth. No such date as the end of July was given. I said we would work through an investigation process and that we would release the report. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Coming from one of the exponents of half-truths it was quite inappropriate and outside the Standing Orders for the Minister to use that term in his answer. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: To say that a person is speaking half the truth does not mean to say that he or she is telling a lie at all; it means that he or she is leaving certain things out. Now I am sure that the member on occasion leaves certain things out—or perhaps he does not. But he ought on occasion to leave certain things out. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I would ask Ministers when they are replying to address the question and to refrain from making comments that are not relevant to the question that was asked. 
Phil Heatley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked what the conclusions were of the corporation’s internal investigation report and I did not actually get an answer. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Does the Minister wish to continue with his answer? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I will repeat what I said in my first answer: I expect to release the report shortly. 
Ann Hartley 
: What progress is Housing New Zealand Corporation making in meeting the housing needs of New Zealanders? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: It is making very good progress indeed. For example just in the final quarter of the 2006-07 financial year 246 new State houses had been acquired 252 Welcome Home Loans were settled the waiting list for State houses declined by 400 people and tenant debt decreased by more than $750000. The list of good news goes on and on. Ensuring Kiwi families have access to quality affordable housing continues to be a key commitment of the Labour-led Government. 
Phil Heatley 
: Has the corporation’s internal investigation into allegations of corruption been concluded and is the report with the Minister and ready for release or has the investigation not been concluded? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: The investigation that we have had has been about the length of time it has been taking to investigate allegations. This report will be released shortly. 
Phil Heatley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The reported investigation is into internal corruption—insider help within Housing New Zealand Corporation—and the Minister demanded the report in a month’s time back in June. So the report was due in July and I am asking whether that report has been finished—whether it was finished at the end of July whether it is finished now and whether it is with the Minister. 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Allegations of corruption that were made by a Mr Mani earlier in the year have been investigated. We have released that report; it was found to be not correct. The investigation that the board of Housing New Zealand Corporation is doing at the moment—which I conceded was into a real issue—is into the length of time that investigations into allegations of subletting and so on had been taking. That report has been completed. It has been reviewed by the Department of Building and Housing and we will release the report shortly. It seems the member is confusing two different investigations. 
Phil Heatley 
: Has the corporation taken the tenant who sublet his State house while owning a beach house in the Bay of Islands and who owes the taxpayer $32650 before the tribunal or court; if so what was the outcome? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: That particular investigation has been completed. It is contained within a wider report on the length of time the investigations unit of Housing New Zealand Corporation has taking for investigations. The report will be released shortly. 
Phil Heatley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I clearly asked whether that tenant had been taken before the court or tribunal and what the outcome was. I knew the investigation had been completed; I canvassed that issue several months ago. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Can the Minister assist the member. 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: That particular case has been part of a wider investigation into process. That report will be released shortly. As to the particular status of the case raised by Mr Heatley that case has been referred on for prosecution. At what point that referral is at the moment I cannot tell the House. If the member cares to put that to me in writing he will get a reply. 
Phil Heatley 
: Why does the Minister know nothing about the court case and nothing about the corruption investigation when he himself called the corporation “sluggish” wanted an “urgent review of the corporation’s processes” and demanded the board report back on the corruption allegations by July—or is he all hot air in this House but does not take that rort seriously? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: What an astonishing question! We have investigated the issues the member has raised. He is sort of muddling several cases. The bottom line is that we have had a thorough investigation of the investigations unit the report has been sent to the Department of Building and Housing as the monitoring agency to check and the report itself will be released shortly. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table documents that show that the investigation report sat on Housing New Zealand Corporation’s desk for 10 months. 
Document not tabled. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table documents that show that the report was not forwarded to the Solicitor-General but has been now. 
Document not tabled. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to show that the report has been sitting with the Solicitor-General for 3 months now. 
Document not tabled. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table a document that shows the Minister’s call for a corruption investigation— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.