O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): Kia orana Madam Chair. I was tempted to stand up and talk about horse racing because I do like a punt but I realise it's not actually part of these appropriations. So I will come back if I may to just talk about how much I really enjoyed being part of the appropriations.This is the time when we do actually get to examine and see our own Ministers and our own ideas and strategies examined and many in the Opposition put them through their paces. The Hon Alfred Ngaro has already been praised tonight on a day when I understand he became the first speaker to do the prayer in a foreign language or in a non-English language. That should be congratulated. It's a shame that that goodwill didn't continue to his own presentation because what I can actually say to Mr Ngaro is that he pointed out something quite important that has come out of this: the difference between counting every little bit and piece and thinking We'll get to where we want to go." versus what we saw in this appropriation which was a fine example of what vision and aspiration actually mean. And in that I refer to KiwiBuild.Now I come from a profession where we don't get excited about things. I used to train detectives and we always taught them the "ABC": accept nothing believe no one and corroborate everything. So when the whole KiwiBuild concept came to reality I sat and watched and wanted to make sure—and I heard some of the criticisms—and I nodded my head and wanted to see how it was going to work but after this appropriation and after some personal experience I've had for those in the Opposition who are sort of betting their future on KiwiBuild failing I would say "Find another target." because I have become a firm believer that KiwiBuild not only can work KiwiBuild will work. I would say for those members of the Opposition if they like me spend a lot of time out in their electorates they will no doubt be meeting people like I did last Sunday up in the Johnsonville market. I met a couple up there earning $220000 between them; they're not eligible for KiwiBuild because they are over the limit. However with $100000 in the bank and earning that they can't find a house. They're in the market around that $700000 to $800000 mark and they cannot find a house. They're realising they have to go so much further. And this is a couple that earn a lot of money they're comfortable; they're not going to be eligible. Again I look at the Opposition; you must be meeting those people. Those who are earning less those who are earning below $180000 have very little hope unless they are living in an area of New Zealand where housing is cheap of ever owning their own home.Now just this weekend we heard the Leader of the Opposition talk about how they basically were very keen on I think it was out-compassioning this Government. Well a good way if they really want to show some compassion is to actually look at the compassion that is going to be required the strategy and the goodwill that is going to be required to ensure that the next generation of New Zealanders can get on the housing tree. And this can happen. I again had the experience of getting the head of KiwiBuild into my electorate and putting him in front of a good old-fashioned group of cynical developers who came in with the old arms folded and "Yeah you tell us about this." They'd seen the media. They'd seen the Opposition. They'd seen the negativity. And I have to say I'm a great believer in putting people that know what they're doing in front of people that know what they're talking about. I felt privileged to be on the sideline watching this. And I saw the light come on. I saw them start to understand "Yeah this can work. Yeah this is going to work." And I saw them leave there—and I've had phone calls since—and want to be part of this.So KiwiBuild is again—forget about what we inherited forget what anyone's done in the past. The reality of it now is that fortunately even the Opposition have acknowledged that we do have a housing crisis. It is something that we have to fix. If we're going to be compassionate about this generation and the next generation of young people we have to do something about it. And KiwiBuild can do that and I would invite the Opposition to be part of that. And if those who believe that this KiwiBuild—and I congratulate the Minister on the different options that KiwiBuild has put together around underwrite because I'll just sum up by saying this the problems that the Opposition's developers our developers have—those problems; whether they be problems with shortage of tradespeople shortage of land whether it be planning problems whether it be RMA these things all of a sudden have become all of our problems because unless we can fix them unless they are fixed we are consigning the next generation to houselessness."