Brownlee GerryHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration): I just want to make a couple of comments about the speech we have just heard from Marama Davidson. It was delivered in a loud tub-thumping style that relied heavily on what was supposed to be an emotional plea to consider the proposed part that has been put forward by the Labour Party. The first question I would ask is does that member bother to look at the processes that are available—through the select committees and the question facilities available to members—to actually find out how many houses are being built in New Zealand at the present time to notice what is the increase in the number of houses being built in New Zealand and to understand how many houses the Government is actually building in New Zealand over and above the private sector? And then has she thought for a moment to consider why it is that developers are building houses that people apparently cannot afford? Developers do not do that. They build houses that people can afford. If they are in an upper price bracket that frees up others in the market. That is how markets work.But it is not at all how the Green Party thinks. The reality is that when the calls are coming to get a plan" it is really saying: "We love sitting in a windowless building listening to the misery of people and pretending that we care." Because that is what it is—pretending. Anyone who votes against this bill today is just pretending that they care about people. Opposition members love the opportunity to get in front of the television and say "Isn't it awful? Isn't it terrible?" but they will not do a single thing to make it move.The speech offering from Dr Nick Smith was absolutely right. Every initiative that the Government has put forward to advance more housing being available on an affordable basis for more New Zealanders has been opposed by all of the Opposition parties—all of them. I think that it would be worthwhile for the Minister in the chair Dr Nick Smith to reiterate all of the facts that were in his contribution before in the hope that they might sink in. The reality here is that no plan—no plan—around housing can be delivered without the land and this bill is about making the land available. Everyone knows that if it is available it will be built on. If it is available it will be built on.I just want to say to those people who get all excited about the average house price in Auckland—they all say: "Isn't it terrible? It's hit $1 million." Well those people need to consider what averages are. They need to go and have a look at TradeMe they need to go and have a look at New Zealand real estate—Chris Hipkins: Let them eat cake—let them eat cake.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: —and actually have a look at where the vast majority of houses and the prices on them sit. The reality is—I know that Mr Hipkins was absent last night. I cannot say he was absent from the House but he was actually in the vicinity of Parliament watching the Auckland housewives programme. He was telling me about that this morning. He was fascinated that one of them was considering buying a $7 million property and saying it would be lovely for their family. That is not reality; that is somebody else's dream. But that house will sell at that price and it will affect the average that is paid for an Auckland house.It does not though reflect the average aspirations of people who simply want to live in a house or what they can afford to pay and what is available to them in the market. So for all the impassioned pleas that we got from the member earlier saying "Please sit in a room join with all the best brains"—apparently they are all in the Opposition—"and come up with a plan for sorting out affordable housing." without the land that is not possible. This bill is about making that land available.I also take issue with the commentary from Phil Twyford.Phil Twyford: On or by?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No—well by. I can understand why he would take issue with the commentary on him but I want to assure him that I do not listen to too much of that. I think he is one of the better-performing members of the Labour Party. He deserves his place on the front bench and in that regard he is a shining light among what is a pretty dark offering or—that is not fair either—a dim offering. When he talks about the fact that Labour supports initiatives to increase housing in New Zealand and to increase the amount of affordable housing in New Zealand his argument—"