Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:645;Page:14618] 
11.  
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: Does the Minister have confidence in the Housing New Zealand Corporation; if so why? 
Hon MARYAN STREET (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 Yes; because it works hard to house some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. 
Phil Heatley 
: Can she confirm that an arrest warrant has finally been issued for the tenant who sublet his State house while owning a Bay of Islands bach but that now no one can find him; and given that it took 16 months for the corporation to act why should we be surprised that he has now done a runner? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: I cannot confirm that information. What I can do is say that a review of investigation processes was carried out last year and better processes are used now that the majority of the referrals to the investigations unit relate to undeclared partners or undeclared income that less than 1 percent of referrals relate to subletting and that fraud is not tolerated. 
Lynne Pillay 
: What reports has the Minister seen on the Government’s approach to affordable housing? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: I have seen a report entitled “Ignore house issue at peril” which states that the Government is on the right track with its housing affordability policies and that National should rethink its current stance which is described as risible. These comments come from Fran O’Sullivan who is known to be not uncritical of this Government. 
Phil Heatley 
: Can she explain how this bach owner Sean Sullivan a professional sportsman got a State house in the first place and is his being given a 2-year head start through the corporation’s bungling the reason that someone so well-known can disappear owing $32650? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: What I can say is what I have said before: fraud is not tolerated. Subletting constitutes a very very small proportion of the investigations carried out by the Housing New Zealand Corporation—in fact less than 1 percent. Tenants who sublet their properties are in breach of a tenancy agreement and in such cases the corporation seeks remedy in the Tenancy Tribunal. 
Pita Paraone 
: Does the Minister have confidence in the Housing New Zealand Corporation’s ability to address the needs of the 10000 or so people on the State house waiting list; and can she advise the House as to when the corporation will introduce a low-tolerance or no-tolerance policy for those who abuse State housing to ensure that tenants who continue to abuse their State houses are booted out to make way for more deserving families who are currently languishing on the waiting list? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: In answer to all parts of that question first of all yes I do have confidence in the Housing New Zealand Corporation’s ability to address the needs of those people over time. However it should be pointed out that a quarter of those who are on that waiting list are already in a Housing New Zealand Corporation house and are simply awaiting transfer to another one. On the second point the corporation does have a no-tolerance policy for those who abuse State housing. The corporation does not tolerate abuse or damage of State housing. It should be noted that only a small number of Housing New Zealand Corporation tenants actually damage their homes. When they do in most cases the cost is recovered from them. 
Phil Heatley 
: Have cases like this bach-owning scam led to the latest public sector trust and confidence poll reporting “a relatively low level of trust and confidence” by the New Zealand public in the Housing New Zealand Corporation? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: Trust and confidence in the Housing New Zealand Corporation is something that is constantly under review and that the corporation is at pains constantly to improve. 
Phil Heatley 
: Is the case of this bach-owning tenant not being investigated for 6 months the eventual investigation report lying around on a corporation desk for a further 10 months the report not being sent to the Crown solicitor until questions were asked in this House then on an arrest warrant being issued the police not finding the tenant because he had done a runner the sort of bungling that undermines public confidence in the Housing New Zealand Corporation? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: In the first instance I do not concede that confidence in the Housing New Zealand Corporation is undermined on the kind of scale that that member is trying to imply. Secondly those matters are operational which I in my position must leave to the chief executive. 
Phil Heatley 
: Has the Minister taken any interest in this case or has her interest dipped to the point where she does not know whether anyone has checked whether this tenant is actually living at his bach? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: I have no knowledge of that. If the member would like to put that question down in writing so that I can ask the chief executive officer I would be happy to find an answer for the member. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table the Public Sector Trust and Confidence Poll that reports low levels of trust in the Housing New Zealand Corporation. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection. 
Phil Heatley 
: I seek leave to table the select committee update on the arrest warrant and unsuccessful— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is. 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: I seek leave of the House to table the article from the  
New Zealand Herald  
called “Ignore house issue at peril”. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is.