6. Question No. 6—Housing and Urban DevelopmentHon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura) to the Minister of Housing and Urban DevelopmentQuestion No. 6—Housing and Urban Development6. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura) to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: Is he satisfied that the KiwiBuild programme will achieve good outcomes for communities?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Housing and Urban Development): Yes. KiwiBuild has four primary aims. The first is to increase homeownership as we build more affordable homes that require a smaller upfront deposit for the estimated 162000 renters who could service a KiwiBuild mortgage; the second is that we want to increase the supply of homes that if not bought by first-home buyers will provide much-needed affordable warm dry rental homes; scale and pipeline that will enable investors to invest in innovative construction methods like offsite manufacturing; and fourth to incentivise the construction of higher-quality homes including through the KiwiBuild design standard which will mean homes are affordable to run and energy-efficient. Hon Judith Collins: Why is he supporting a KiwiBuild development in Marfell New Plymouth when a proposal had already been received by Housing New Zealand to build social housing on the site for around $100000 less per house? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Because our goal at Marfell is to regenerate and revitalise a neighbourhood that for the last decade was allowed to sit vacant. After neglected homes were demolished that suburb was left isolated and vacant full of social problems. Our Government is going to revitalise Marfell with warm dry affordable homes for young families and we're building 29 extra State houses in New Plymouth. Hon Judith Collins: Is KiwiBuild offering a better product to the Marfell community than the alternative proposal received that would have included a rent-to-buy scheme targeted at low-income earners? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: So we are building warm dry modern homes for first-home buyers—that's the superior option. We're revitalising a community that was left to languish for a decade under the former Government. We're also working with New Plymouth city council to build a road that will connect Banks Street to Cook Street meaning it's no longer a cul-de-sac. It is a fine development and the superior option. Jonathan Young: So will low-income earners in the Marfell community be better off now that three-bedroom houses are being sold for around $400000 via a ballot instead of in the low $300000s as proposed by a local rent-to-buy scheme? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well there are very few low-income residents in the Marfell community because there are very few homes left in the Marfell community because that Government left the land lying vacant for nine long years. Low-income families who want to have a crack at homeownership or public housing are going to get a better chance after nine years because we're building KiwiBuild homes and State housing in New Plymouth and that member should be grateful for it.Hon Judith Collins: Why does the Minister not agree with a local rent-to-buy scheme at around $300000 for people who are low-income rather than a $400000 KiwiBuild scheme?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I'm very gratified to see that the member after nine years of denying there was a housing crisis has now become an advocate for housing for low-income families. Welcome to the real world. [Interruption] SPEAKER: No you don't need the point of order. Answer the question.Hon Carmel Sepuloni: A hypothetical scheme—they never introduced anything.Hon PHIL TWYFORD: It is a hypothetical scheme. That Government never did anything for nine years. We're building KiwiBuild affordable homes and State housing in New Plymouth. That Government never built any State housing for nine long years. [Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member did in the very beginning address the question—very tangentially I might say. But he did.