Bishop Chris; Woods Megan; Jackson WillieCHRIS BISHOP (National): Well we can agree to disagree. But with respect contracting's one thing but getting money out the door is another thing and actually the work doesn't happen unless you spend the money. So anyway—Hon Marama Davidson: No I disagree.CHRIS BISHOP: Well work's fine but unless people are actually being paid to look after people who are in need then there's not a lot of point in doing it. So anyway I'd just make that as an aside. My colleague Tama Potaka has some other questions but I just wanted to ask the Ministers generally: what work if any is being done on housing for prisoners who leave prison? I think one of the great disgraces of New Zealand public policy is that people who leave prison far too often go into insecure housing and that is a big contributor and driver of their ending up back in prison. The wider issue of course is we need to build more houses—that of course is fundamental—but clearly there is a massive social need around prisoners who finish their sentence and exit prison and who unfortunately far too often end up in emergency housing motels sometimes with people they've been in prison with. They're placed in vulnerable situations in which they're subject to temptation and they end up committing crime and end up back in prison. The cycle repeats and it's a disgrace. I think there is a need for the Crown for central government to step up and provide more support there. So I'd just ask Ministers what work or what programmes if any are specifically targeted—not just generally homelessness but specifically targeted—at easing that transition from prison back into the community? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON (Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness)): Look I am so pleased to hear the member pushing for and recognising the needs of people coming out of prison and can I also add to the member's radar for example returned overseas offenders. So I want to highlight the Homelessness Action Plan actions where we have been able to add more support for particularly women leaving prison—now that was of one the actions which is 26 women supporting 26 women—and also returned overseas offenders 41 of them. Can I also add to the member's radar that transitioning out of acute mental health units is another of those areas where I welcome the members' collective support to build public mandate that we need to get more housing for these very groups of people who are actually more readily than not dehumanised and are rejected from having support in housing. But we should look at this as criminal reoffending prevention we should look at this as violence prevention and we should look at this as health or disability prevention or mental illness prevention. I do agree with the member that we absolutely need more of that specific support and I hope he continues to prioritise that among his own colleagues as well. But I did want to give the member those updates on where we have made progress in those areas. Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing): Just to add to that there's obviously the very important work that's happening under the auspices of the Homelessness Action Plan in relation to women prisoners. But there is also within the emergency housing review a cross-agency group that not only brings in the Department of Corrections but also brings in the Ministry of Health which I think is critical. We need to be thinking about mental health and addiction as well as corrections. But I would like to see this as an area where we could develop a little bit more of a multipartisan conversation about this because I think all too often there is a demonisation of the rehousing of people and how they reintegrate back into the community. I think that's something that we see all too often in our communities and it's something that I strongly believe as a local MP it is our job to leadership on rather than stirring up those embers of hate that can be there that do stop people successfully reintegrating whether that is from mental health that is from addiction or indeed if that is someone building a life outside of prison. But housing also has the ability to be part of that rehabilitation for our prisoners. I think this week we've seen that wonderful story coming out of Rolleston Prison in Canterbury and I know that I've been there with Minister Davidson to visit some of the young men that are learning a trade in prison so that when they get released they're actually going to be part of solving our housing crisis. They won't just be a statistic in the housing crisis; they'll actually be people with the skills and the qualifications and the trades that actually will be building houses for other people to be warm safe and dry in. So that is work that I would like to draw the House's attention to because I think it is something we can all celebrate. Hon WILLIE JACKSON (Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing)): I want to thank that member for that observation and for that question. It's really important that type of question that type of challenge for all of us in the House. Under the previous Key Government my own organisation had set up houses for prisoners and it had support and I want to acknowledge that because it was one of the hardest things that I had ever done as a community CEO. As you know Tama Potaka at our marae at Ngā Whare Waatea we had Zac Wallace who was a former inmate—a long-time inmate—and his wife Deidre Nehua who ran the strategy in terms of reintegrating these prisoners back into society and we had whole streets Mr Bishop who would turn on us because we were trying to reintegrate these prisoners back into society. It was a major kaupapa and it remains a major kaupapa for our organisations. My mother was a Parole Board member for 20 years and it was one of her major commitments in terms of the reintegration of these prisoners. I think that it transcends a party so I think that all parties can come together on this. I thank the member for his observation and the question.