Reti ShaneDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei): Thank you Madam Chair. It's a pleasure to make a contribution to this bill. The regulatory impact statement talks about the uncertainty on landlord behaviour of removing letting fees and I want to talk to an area not previously covered and build an argument. You see it's quite plausible that having letting fees may in some sense increase the level of social responsibility and even the actions of a landlord and I'll testify to that as a previous landlord myself. But the opposite may also be true that removing the letting fee may decrease the sense of social responsibility and actions of the landlord and I'll actually prove that in this contribution.Now the regulatory impact statement agrees that there's uncertainty of what the impact of this bill will be on landlord behaviour. To quote here Nor is there sufficient information or time available"—again the Minister Phil Twyford mentioned time—"to fully consider the impacts of prohibiting letting fees or what if any impacts it may have". It continues through saying much of the same thing: "The specific behavioural response of landlords is difficult to forecast as time"—time again—"for consultation has been limited". So we have this uncertainty of landlord behaviour as we remove the letting fees. Here's what I believe: first of all the letting fee if it's removed will be passed through to the tenants; secondly I do think that removing the letting fee decreases the responsibility of the landlord and I'll get to that; and thirdly I think that having a letting fee—as a previous landlord myself I was aware that the tenant was paying it and I did try and make some accommodations.Let's go back to that situation and the argument I'm making that reducing the letting fee may reduce the responsibility and behaviours if you like of the landlord. Here's how I want to prove it: Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is a landlord. They have 22 houses in Whangarei. LINZ tenants do not pay letting fees. Eugenie Sage is the landlord for those LINZ houses. She is an appalling landlord—appalling. It takes TV ONE's 6 p.m. news to turn up to show the mouldy walls the mouldy ceilings before that landlord would act. Yet the day after TV ONE news teams of maintenance people miraculously appear. There's no letting fee in that situation—LINZ don't—but all 22 LINZ houses as of 31 October are mysteriously now going to be examined by a maintenance person from Land Information New Zealand. The connection here is they pay no letting fee but the landlord is still appalling—absolutely appalling. Again what I'm saying here is that maybe not having a letting fee decreases social responsibility of the landlord and in this example Green MP Eugenie Sage. We heard Chlöe Swarbrick talk about Metiria Turei and their warrant of fitness and how wonderful they are as landlords. Sorry not this MP not this Minister not this party not these landlords—appalling.The argument I'm making here is that with a letting fee—again that uncertainty of behaviour at what we can see in the regulatory impact statement. I believe just to reiterate that the letting fees will be passed through to tenants if we remove this. That's not a good thing. We're all wanting to improve the tenant experience so I think that's not a good thing. Secondly I do believe as a landlord myself being aware that tenants have paid a letting fee I have tried to make accommodations at times. I understand their circumstance. Thirdly removing the letting fee in some senses decreases the responsibility of the landlord and I've given you the example of Eugenie Sage landlord for LINZ and the 22 Whangarei houses where she is an appalling landlord. Thank you."