7. Homeownership Māori and Pasifika—Māori Housing Network and Other InitiativesKELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister for Māori DevelopmentHomeownership Māori and Pasifika—Māori Housing Network and Other Initiatives7. KELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister for Māori Development: Does he agree with Te Matapihi the national Māori housing organisation that nine years of inaction by his Government is the reason for a huge decline in Māori and Pasifika homeownership; if so what does he think this says about his Māori housing initiatives?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Minister for Māori Development): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker kia ora tātau ā hei whakautu te pātai [Greetings Mr Speaker and to us all and in response to the question]: while I have no delegated responsibility for Māori and Pacific homeownership rates I note that homeownership rates amongst Māori and indeed Pasifika people were declining long before I became Minister—in fact under successive Governments. This is why when I became Minister one of my first priorities was to establish a Māori housing network Kāinga Ora to have a specific focus on improving housing outcomes for Māori. I would like to point out that after I made my Budget 2017 announcements Te Matapihi put out a press release on 8 May congratulating me. It said: Te Matapihi would like to congratulate Minister for Māori Development Te Ururoa Flavell on the announcement of several new Māori housing initiatives at a hui at Waipatu … in Kahungunu this morning." The press release continued: "Te Matapihi look forward to supporting Te Puni Kōkiri to implement these programmes. We would like to acknowledge Minister Flavell who has worked hard to consistently secure an increase in pūtea for Māori housing every year over the past three years he has been in office for better Māori housing outcomes."Kelvin Davis: How can he pretend that his Government has done anything for Māori housing and homelessness when the Māori homeownership rate has fallen to just 28 percent under his watch?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: As I said earlier as Minister for Māori Development I am not responsible for the whole of Government approach to housing which also targets Māori. What I can say is that through Budgets 2015 2016 and 2017 since I have been Minister I have managed to secure successive increases to support whare-focused initiatives bringing the total funding for the Māori Housing Network to just under $20 million per annum. I can say that the focus of Budget 2017 again was all about improving the outcomes where I secured a further $17 million over 4 years which includes $9 million to explore pathways for Māori ownership. There is a lot of good news in the housing area.Kelvin Davis: What kind of system is he running when the Māori Housing Network has spent over $37 million and yet contributed funding to only 63 homes' costs with only—wait for it—11 of those getting a code of compliance?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: I can answer that very easily. Just to help the member since the Māori Housing Network was launched in October 2015 the network has actually supported 155 Māori housing projects aimed at improving housing for whānau and now these whānau live in far safer warmer healthier homes. Hon Members: How many houses?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: I will help the members if they just kept quiet a little bit. Of those 155 projects the Māori Housing Network has been able to support—here were go—there were housing repair projects for 179 whānau in areas of high deprivation; it contributed to the cost of building 63 new affordable homes which include rental homes for whānau that are owned by Māori collectives; and it supported housing infrastructure for 176 new homes. I think the major thing to say is that whatever we do it is far better than Labour.Kelvin Davis: Can he confirm that the Māori Housing Network with $37 million spent has got only 11 houses up to code of compliance?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: I cannot confirm that. If the member wanted to give that in writing I would have brought the information across. What I can confirm is that we have run amongst a number of initiatives across the housing space 36 capability housing infrastructure proposals and we have completed 62 initiatives to increase whānau knowledge about housing initiatives. If the member wants answers he should really put the question in writing so that we know what we are talking about.Marama Fox: Does the Minister believe that the subsequent mainstreaming of housing services by the Labour Party has contributed to the decline of Māori homeownership?Mr SPEAKER: Order! No that question is out of order. There is no responsibility for the Labour Party. Kelvin Davis: Does he think it is honest to promote his Te Ara Mauwhare initiative as something that will get Māori into homeownership when he cannot answer how many whānau are targeted to achieve homeownership how many houses will be built and how many communities will be involved?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: That is the exact reason why we want to address housing by way of Te Ara Mauwhare. Total homeownership rates across all ethnicities have been declining since their peak in 1991. Around 28 percent of Māori own or part-own their own homes at least at the last census and that is why we have got $9 million in the project called Te Ara Mauwhare. This is a new initiative I obtained through Budget 2017 recognising the need to take action to address Māori homeownership rates. The new funding will be used to trial ways to help whānau themselves achieve greater housing independence and in particular homeownership. I hope to be able to build on the successful trials that we have had to reach more whānau in subsequent years to come. Kelvin Davis: Why will he not admit that all his tinkering has made very little difference and that Labour's KiwiBuild is a better option because it would house tens of thousands of young Māori families?Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: I disagree with the statement by the member. I mean he says that but actually what happened was that he also arrived to a housing project in Kaitāia—where he lives—under He Korowai Trust. On that day about a year ago he along with me celebrated the success of Ricky Houghton and the project that he had done where he was able to provide papakāinga development to provide affordable homeownership and wraparound support services for whānau in Kaitāia. The trust has pioneered an affordable homeownership model so whānau can make sure that they have got roofs over their heads and can look after their tamariki mokopuna. The member was at that hui. I was at that hui. He clapped. I clapped. It should be a good deal."