Wong Pansy: General Debate 
Wong Pansy: General Debate 
[Volume:668;Page:14862] 
Hon PANSY WONG (Minister for Ethnic Affairs) 
: 
 I think that that member Nanaia Mahuta has forgotten with all of those policies that she talked about that Labour was thrown out of office in 2008 so I do not know where the fresh thinking is coming from. 
The National-led Government has so many initiatives to talk about that I am spoilt for choice. I thought that I would pick one that is really exciting: I welcome members to 128C Preston Road Otara; the most stunning three-bedroom first-home buyers’ dream home. I wish that when I was looking for my first home this stunning three-bedroom home had been available. Last Friday it was such a pleasure for me Dr Cam Calder and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi to support two of our hard-working innovative Ministers the Hon Maurice Williamson and the Hon Phil Heatley. 
Under this National-led Government we do not impose things in passing laws. Dr Nick Smith demonstrated the ridiculousness of rules that were always imposed by Labour. Labour always thinks that it knows best for New Zealanders; that is why it was turfed out in 2008. For a difference look at this stunning sitting room in this three-bedroom home which cost only $168000 to build. That was the result of the National-led Government’s initiative called the  
Simple House Acceptable Solution.  
The Department of Building and Housing put the initiative together to ensure that people who want to build their first home can look at the requirements get the instructions about structural strength and durability and know what should be done to satisfy those requirements for a finish that will reflect the requirement for durability and flexibility to meet changes. All those requirements are contained in this first-home package. Guess what? The best thing is that for a very long time people complained about waiting for months if not years for building consents but this initiative reduces the consent process to days. We are talking about days not weeks. 
The day when we were at the house we were standing at the beautiful courtyard and looking into that three-bedroom home which is now so affordable for the first-home buyer. It can be built by anybody anywhere in New Zealand. It can be built on any land in any style. All they have to do is satisfy this very simple initiative called the  
Simple House Acceptable Solution 
. That is the style of National. We want to make homes that can be built faster and be more affordable. More than that we want to make homes that are stunning and that have flexibility. Future so-called cheap housing is actually a dream for anybody. This house alone—I am sure Dr Cam Calder who was there with me last Friday would agree—will transform people’s images of cheap housing. 
I think that lots of people now will rush in. Wait until next summer when this house will be up for auction. Some very lucky couple will be able to say: “Wow that’s the type of Government that I can support because it turns young people’s dream homes into a reality.” Anybody would be proud to own this home to bring up their children and enjoy barbecues which are coming up in summertime. Think about what this is doing to the Otara suburb. I am so proud of Otara and Manukau because this is the type of contemporary thinking they need.