Ross Jami-Lee: Taxation (KiwiSaver HomeStart and Remedial Matters) Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoss Jami-Lee: Taxation (KiwiSaver HomeStart and Remedial Matters) Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 24 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2521. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany): To the 90000 people who will benefit from the changes that this Government is making to KiwiSaver they heard it here today from the Labour Party. Labour thinks that having 90000 people benefit from the Government’s changes to KiwiSaver is simply a gimmick. That is what Grant Robertson described this measure as this afternoon. He said that it was simply a gimmick. Well to those 90000 people who over the next 5 years will be benefiting from the ability to withdraw more money from KiwiSaver to use as a deposit to get themselves into a home I say that this Government cares about homeownership in this country and that the Labour Party does not.The Labour Party thinks that trying to help first-home buyers is a gimmick. The Labour Party thinks that this bill will do nothing to help them. Yet again it is absolutely wrong. We have heard the speeches from Mr Robertson; we have heard the speeches from Mr Twyford. They do not support first-home buyers like this Government does. I am pleased to be speaking on this bill. I am pleased to be speaking on a bill that will actually enable more people to access homes at an affordable rate.There is a large number of challenges that we face when it comes to housing—particularly in Auckland but it is also a nationwide issue—and I believe that this Government has a set of policies that is going a long way towards helping those who wish to get a house. Let us talk first about the fact that we need to have more houses built in New Zealand. I have been listening to speeches from the Labour Party members—it happens week after week—where they downplay and do not acknowledge the significant increase in construction that is taking place in this country.If you want to get more people into houses and more people owning houses in this country we simply have to be building more houses. But the building of new houses does not take place overnight and the building of new houses is not something that I would ever trust any Government—particularly a Labour Government—to be involved in and to be doing for itself. The best way for houses to be built in this country is to have them built by the private sector. The role for the Government to play is to put in place the policies that enable the private sector to get on and build. The policy that the Government also has to be involved in is ensuring that there is the ability for people to access capital in order to access deposits so that they can borrow to build more homes.I get sick and tired just like every member of the House does of hearing the Labour Party members talking about housing affordability. I remember going to the banks and asking for a mortgage in the mid to late-2000s when Labour was in office. I remember the mortgage rates being close to 11 percent. When I was purchasing a house in 2008 the mortgage rate offered by banks under economic settings by that party was almost 11 percent. Interest rates are considerably lower right now because of the economic policies that we are pursuing.If Labour members want to talk about housing affordability then I would like them to address the fact that under their economic settings under their watch homeowners were paying almost twice the amount that they are for borrowing. First-home buyers are the ones who are impacted the most when it comes to interest rates.Another part of housing affordability that we need to consider in this House is the compliance costs that are put on those wishing to purchase houses and those wishing to develop houses. I heard some sounds coming from the New Zealand First corner. New Zealand First members are out there at the moment trying to convince New Zealanders that they supposedly have had an epiphany and they now support Resource Management Act reform. We do not believe it. They do not believe it either. They do not support Resource Management Act reform. That would be meaningful and that would lead to—Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Is the Resource Management Act in this bill?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): No look this is a debate where the Resource Management Act has been mentioned before. So long as the member does not concentrate on it and make an issue out of it I am allowing it to happen.JAMI-LEE ROSS: I am sorry Mrs Martin. I know that these issues are a bit sensitive for New Zealand First. I know they cannot handle some of the truth sometimes but the fact of the matter is that along with a number of changes that we have in housing including KiwiSaver changes including special housing areas—Denis O’Rourke: National will not pass the Resource Management Act amendments because it will not win the Northland by-election.JAMI-LEE ROSS: Look Denis just go back to supporting marijuana. Go back to supporting marijuana Denis. I know that is what the party’s new policy is.Denis O’Rourke: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There are actually two points. First of all the member cannot refer to me or any member by just a Christian name. Secondly I take offence at being told that I support the legalisation of marijuana when I have never ever said any such thing.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! I hear what the member says. I ask the member to withdraw that comment and then proceed with the debate.JAMI-LEE ROSS: Sorry what am I withdrawing?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Withdraw the comment relating to marijuana.JAMI-LEE ROSS: I withdraw. I will refer to Denis O’Rourke—the list member of Parliament from Christchurch with two letterboxes—by the correct name if he wishes. But the fact that I referred to something he did not like I think is something we should consider because their leader has been out there saying some things on the hustings.Hon Clayton Cosgrove: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a Standing Order that members cannot challenge your ruling. You have ruled; he has withdrawn and he is now referring to it.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): No no he has not mentioned the word again. I would ask that the debate comes back into focus here. But no he has not mentioned the word that I asked him to withdraw so that is in order. Jami-Lee Ross just focus in the last 4 minutes on what the bill is about.JAMI-LEE ROSS: Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I am sorry that I get the members of the Opposition so excited. They get so excited because they do not like hearing about the strident steps that we are taking as a Government to address housing affordability in New Zealand. This bill addresses one of a number of steps we are taking.I now would like to talk a bit more about housing and the fact that we need to build more houses. Whenever we hear the Labour Party members talk about bills like this whenever they talk about housing they do not acknowledge the fact that building is on the increase in this country. Residential construction is up 21 percent in the last year. In the last year 24000 consents were issued—the highest number since 2008. If Labour members really want to support first-home buyers if they really want to support building more houses then they should get on board with the Government’s programme. They should be supporting the moves we are taking to build more houses because it is having an impact.If Phil Twyford ever wants to see the impacts of the residential construction and policies we are pursuing I invite him to come out to the Botany electorate. If one wants to see residential construction taking off in a particular part of Auckland the Botany electorate as it merges into the Hunua electorate is one place where construction is absolutely booming. I am looking forward to the Deputy Prime Minister coming to my electorate next month to help do another sod turning on some more development in my electorate. It is going ahead; it is happening fast.The special housing area policies that we have put in place are leading to more construction. In my electorate the Flat Bush strategic area is going to be home to almost 5000 new houses under that policy.Hon Clayton Cosgrove: How many now?JAMI-LEE ROSS: Clayton Cosgrove does not like the sound of it. Phil Twyford does not like the sound of it. But more Kiwis are getting access to homes under this Government because we are pursuing policies that will lead to more houses being built will lead to more Kiwis getting access to lower mortgage lending rates and will lead to more Kiwis getting deposits together so they can afford more houses. Overall New Zealanders are going to be better off.This Government does not shirk away from the important decisions that need to be made around housing. This Government supports Resource Management Act reform. This Government supports policies that allow developers to get out and build. This Government supports New Zealanders to get into homes. Mr Denis O’Rourke—the list member of Parliament from Christchurch with two letterboxes—come on board with Resource Management Act reform. You know you want to—you know you want to. His leader is selling a song out there up north but they do not actually believe it is going to happen.Let us all just calmly remember that the people who will benefit from this are young New Zealanders. This is not a gimmick. This is not something that goes nowhere. Grant Robertson was wrong when he used those terms. In fact I think he was rather insulting to people in saying that the Government changing policies to allow more New Zealanders to access their own funds to be able to put them into a deposit so they can live that Kiwi dream of owning a home—to denigrate something like that as Mr Robertson did was appalling.New Zealanders want to own their own homes. We are putting in place policies to help them to do that. I suggest to the Labour Party members that they start to realise what Kiwis want—that they start to realise that the Government building homes is not the way to do it. It is actually done by supporting the community supporting New Zealanders and supporting residential construction developers out there to be able to do it. We are putting in place those policies. I am proud to stand on this side of the House to say we are helping young New Zealanders. We are helping first-home buyers. They will see the results long term. They will be better off because of the settings and the economic policies we are pursuing. I do commend this bill to the House.