10. Question No. 10—HousingTAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Minister of HousingQuestion No. 10—Housing10. TAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Housing: Does he believe everyone in New Zealand should have a secure home; if so how does he reconcile this with his Government's intention to make it easier to evict people from their homes?Hon CHRIS BISHOP (Minister of Housing): Yes I believe everyone should be able to access a warm and dry home to live in. The intent of our tenancy policy changes is to encourage more landlords into the market so that people can access those homes.Tamatha Paul: Does he accept the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) advice that evidence is uncertain that no-cause evictions will put downward pressures on rents but that the evidence is clear that security of tenancy for renters will be negatively impacted?Hon CHRIS BISHOP: Well that's the official advice from HUD. What I do believe as I've heard from many landlords and many people out there who work with vulnerable tenants is that bringing back no-cause evictions will enable landlords to take a chance on often quite vulnerable tenants who are trying to access rental properties. That is a good thing for New Zealanders.Tamatha Paul: Does he agree with the president of the Canterbury Property Investors' Association who said about no-cause evictions Instead of getting maintenance they get a 90-day notice to end their tenancy." and if not why not?Hon CHRIS BISHOP: I haven't seen the quote from that particular individual in its full context but generally I disagree with that.Tamatha Paul: What does he say to one renter who told us that they remember their "mum crying because we received a 90-day notice just days after we filed a healthy homes report because my room was completely covered in mould there were slugs entering under doors every night and none of the walls were insulated"?Hon CHRIS BISHOP: The Government supports the healthy homes standards and I would say to that renter exactly that. It is also illegal to do that on the grounds of what the member is talking about. I would say more generally the whole thrust of our housing policies as I discussed with Manawatu Tenants' Union and a whole range of people working in this advocacy space this morning is to improve homeownership for New Zealanders and improve the lives of renters by putting downward pressure on rents. It is too expensive to own houses in New Zealand. It is too expensive to rent in New Zealand. We are fixing the underlying issues in our housing market that have caused that to be the case.Tamatha Paul: What does he say to one person who told us that "My elderly grandfather was kicked out each year for three years in a row from three places and it was so sad seeing him shuffled along every year. It was such an ordeal moving him. He wasn't eligible for funding for a place in a rest home and didn't have enough money to pay for one."?Hon CHRIS BISHOP: I have every sympathy with people in those situations but I can't comment on those individual circumstances. What we are trying to do is get the balance right between tenants and landlords and also make it clear that landlords that wish to provide properties to people who they might otherwise have turned down are willing to take a chance on people. The member needs to appreciate that the policy intent is positive not negative."