Heatley Phil: Budget Debate 
Text is subject to correction 
Heatley Phil: Budget Debate 
[Sitting date: 31 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2775. Text is subject to correction.] 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Energy and Resources) 
: 
 Can I pick up from the Hon Anne Tolley’s message about using taxpayer funds so very very much better. I would like to talk about a policy—one that the Labour Party is nowhere near but which about a third of a million New Zealanders are right up against—that is the insulation of private homes owned by homeowners or rental properties with tenants. It is the insulation programme that over 150000 families have now picked up. There is an average of three people in a household so about 450000 New Zealanders now benefit from it. What happened was that when we came into Government—when the National Party came into Government—John Key asked his officials what were the two or three things that the Government could do that would change New Zealanders’ lives instantly and also create jobs. We came out with this home insulation scheme. The deal essentially is that the Government will pay for a third of the insulation costs for houses if families can front up with two-thirds. The Green Party—of course I acknowledge the Green Party—came on board and we had an announcement back then that over 4 years we would put in about a third of a billion dollars and insulate about 188000 homes across New Zealand. The Green Party was part of that and I certainly acknowledge it. The reality is that the Government of the day the National Government stumped up a third of a billion dollars and we are well on the way to insulating those 188000 homes. So that is a good thing.  
Come this Budget I myself as Minister of Energy and Resources looked at the figures. What has actually happened—and Anne Tolley will be interested in this—is that out of that fund we have managed to be able to extend that to 230000 houses. It will not be just 188000; we think we can probably do about 230000 houses with the same amount of money. In other words an extra 41000 houses will be funded out of that fund. Would the Labour Party—well first of all the Labour Party would not have thought of doing it—have got that cost-effectiveness? Is there anyone in New Zealand who would argue against the ability of National to get from a third of a billion dollars instead of 188000 houses an extra 41000 houses out of the same amount of cash through the efficiencies that we the sector and the people who have installed it have driven? Can anyone argue against that? I do not think so. So what are we going to get? Instead of getting 188000 houses over 4 years we are going to get 6 to 9 months into a fifth year a total of 230000 houses. That is fantastic value for money—fantastic value for money.  
I want to inform members about something humorous. This does not go to the Green Party because it supported us in that programme. Labour said: “We would have done that.” Labour had 9 years in Government and it did not do that but it said: “We would have done that.” To make it worse can I tell the New Zealand public about something pretty interesting. We are insulating private homes—right—and private rentals. Did you know that not all State houses are insulated? Did the Speaker know and did the New Zealand public know that not all State houses are insulated? In other words after 9 years in Government Labour did not even insulate its own homes. Its own homes are not even insulated. By the end of next year we will have insulated every single State home in the country that can be insulated. The Labour Party after 9 years in Government had State house tenants living in uninsulated homes yet when National makes the announcement that it is going to insulate private homes the Labour Party members say: “We would have done that.” Labour did not even insulate its own houses. What a disgrace. Can I say that we do not agree with the Green Party on most things. We do not agree with the Green Party on most things but I can tell you that when I am talking about the two-faced attitude here on home insulation— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I know what the member is going to say. The member is referring to the word that we do not actually hear. The speaker cannot get around the use of that word by a circumlocution which the member is trying to do. The member will withdraw. 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: I withdraw and apologise. The point I am making here is that I do not agree with the Green Party on a whole bunch of things but at least it has got some honesty around this. By the end of next year under this Government we will have insulated every single State house in New Zealand that can be insulated and that we can track down and we will have insulated about 230000 private houses across New Zealand. That is a stunning stunning promise.  
I am also fascinated about the odd story that turns up in the media about old cold and mouldy State houses. Can I reiterate as I did in the last term of Government over 3 years—virtually every month over the last 3 years I have said this as Minister of Housing and I will say it again—we have about 70000 State houses across New Zealand. Somewhere between a quarter and a third of them are in the wrong place—wrong suburb or wrong town—or they are of the wrong size. In other words they are three-bedroom houses when actually we need one-bedroom houses and six-bedroom houses. Thirdly they are in a poor state of disrepair. In other words they are old 1940s and 1950s State houses and they are uninsulated. When we came into Government between a quarter and a third of State houses in New Zealand were either in the wrong place were of the wrong size or were in very poor condition. So to the New Zealand media: we know—we know—and that is why we are insulating them. That is why we are going through developments like in Tamaki and bowling old houses and building new ones. That is why we introduced reviewable tenancies so that State house tenants are no longer in a State house for life if they do not need one. If I got into a State house with a family of six 30 or 40 years later under the Labour Party I could be a single person rattling round in five bedrooms and all the while there is a desperate family on the waiting list. Well that changes under us. 
But I will tell you this out of interest: the Labour Party opposes everything we are doing in State housing. We insulate all the State houses; Labour is against it. We do redevelopments where we better use the land and we upgrade all the State houses and bowl the old ones and build the new ones in Tamaki; Labour is against it. The redevelopment in Farmer Crescent; Labour is against it. What we do is say: “Hey if you don’t need a State house you can no longer have it for life. Someone else on the waiting list should get it.” and the Labour Party opposes that. So it does not matter where you turn the Labour Party opposes National Party policy even when it blindingly makes good sense. I put on the record that yes the State housing stock needs a serious upgrade yes we need the right type of houses and yes we need to insulate them all. The previous Labour Government did none of that in 9 years. We have to do it. That is why people are in State houses in poor condition. That is why people are on the waiting lists and I am proud to be part of a Budget that actually starts addressing those issues. As we insulate State houses across the country and private houses across the country can I thank members in the House and can I thank the Green Party. Can I say to the Green Party that if ever it is in Government with the Labour Party please please please repeat these messages the main one being that insulation of housing is good start at home with your own stock—you know the State housing stock—and extend it to the private housing stock. Thank you.