Tirikatene Rino: Social Housing Reform (Transaction Mandate) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTirikatene Rino: Social Housing Reform (Transaction Mandate) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 17 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:9094. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): I am pleased to take a call on Part 1. Just in response to the Minister in the chair the Hon Dr Nick Smith in regard to where the money will be going from the sale of social housing—it says in the bill under clause 4 inserting new section 2A that “(7) All amounts payable to the Crown … must be paid to a Crown Bank Account.” It does not say that the money is going back to Housing New Zealand and will be used to replenish the housing stock. The Minister in my mind has misled the Committee because he directly contradicts what is stated in this clause in Part 1.But can I just take a step back and say how I join with my colleagues in saying that we are completely opposed to and protest the passage of this legislation. This legislation cuts to the very heart the very DNA of our society of us as Kiwis. For decades we have had the provision of social housing by the State which has been to the benefit of thousands and thousands of families up and down the length and breadth of this country. I know the Minister likes to talk about expanding the social housing sector but that is actually a real nonsense because on a plain reading of Part 1 this legislation effectively gives unbridled power to the Ministers to dispose of the complete Housing New Zealand estate.If we look to new section 2A all it takes is a declaration from the Ministers that they want to round up all of Housing New Zealand’s estate—and it is not just State housing land. It is more. It is the dwellings the buildings and the chattels. Just by a simple declaration they can take control and absolutely sideline Housing New Zealand which has had its job affirmed through decades of legislation. It is being dismantled through this Part 1. Just by a simple declaration the Ministers take control of conceivably the entire Housing New Zealand estate. There is nothing to stop them. It does not say here that it is about expanding the social housing sector. They can take control sideline and cancel out Housing New Zealand so that they can go and pursue their agenda of selling the social housing stock.Far from being expansionary Part 1 provides unprecedented power to two Ministers to be able to take hold of what has been a public asset that has a clear statutory purpose and function in history. Once the Ministers do present their declaration they can go ahead and sell.I just want to focus on new section 2A. I mentioned how the moneys will be paid into a Crown bank account. But we see the complete dismantling of Housing New Zealand by virtue of the fact that there is a new ministry which has been defined in clause 3A. There will be a new ministry that will be responsible for reporting to Parliament on all of the former Housing New Zealand properties that have been disposed of under this part.What is that ministry? I assume that it would be the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment for building the—I just forget the name. But forget the full name—by this part we are seeing the complete end to Housing New Zealand in its role. We are seeing the moneys that will be plundered through the sale of the Housing New Zealand stock going to a Crown bank account. It is not going back into the renewal of the housing stock. There is a complete contradiction that this Minister has said in—