2. Housing Affordability and Availability—Auckland Special Housing Areas and Hutt Valley DevelopmentANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterHousing Affordability and Availability—Auckland Special Housing Areas and Hutt Valley Development2. ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Has he asked his housing Ministers for a report of how many affordable houses have been built in the Auckland Special Housing Areas; if not why not?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): No but I would expect that Auckland Council which argued vigorously for those requirements will collect the information. I do regularly receive reports from Ministers on the impact of special housing areas and many other Government initiatives. These impacts include almost 5000 consents for new homes in special housing areas 10400 consents issued over the last 12 months flat house prices in the last 9 months and improving housing affordability according to Massey University none of which has been assisted by the Labour Party's opposition to the Point England development.Andrew Little: In light of that answer and focusing for the moment just on things that people actually live in—called houses—why is the Government unable to say how many affordable homes will be built in the Auckland special housing areas?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: As I have just said I expect that Auckland Council will be able to collect that information. It is in by far the best position to do so. The Government focuses on the broader picture of housing affordability and with flat house prices and rising incomes housing affordability is now gradually improving. If the Labour Party had not opposed the Three Kings development and the Point England development we would have made even more progress.Andrew Little: Why is the Government also unable to say how many affordable homes will be built in its cynical Hutt development?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I just disagree with the member's assertion. He can ask the Minister about the detail but the Hutt Valley has one of the highest concentrations of traditional State housing in the country and some of the worst State housing stock and the irony is that the Labour Party wants to leave it how it is whereas we want to rebuild the Hutt Valley.Andrew Little: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister had finished answering that question at the end of his first sentence. He should not have been allowed to carry on.Mr SPEAKER: I do not agree with the member on this occasion. There has been a lot of interjection and if the members to the left and right of the Leader of the Opposition are going to continue to interject through the answer then they have got to expect a little bit back in return.Andrew Little: Thank you Mr Speaker—it is a relief to see I am in the centre again! Will overseas speculators be able to buy any of the houses built in the Hutt or the Auckland special housing areas; if so why does he allow that?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I know the Labour Party is very focused on I think the 3 percent of overseas resident taxpayers many of whom may or may not be what he calls speculators. What you know is that in a market where more supply is coming to the market more quickly than ever and house prices are flattening then the room for speculation is very minimal.Andrew Little: How can he expect to be believed on housing when CoreLogic says the number of sales to first-home buyers is at its lowest level in 20 years?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: There may be arguments about what those numbers actually mean. What we know is that the housing market is going through an adjustment and that will have—Hon Members: Ha ha!Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Well those members were against the prices going up and now they are against them not going up which is on Planet Labour" logical I suppose.Andrew Little: Given that he along with the rest of New Zealand must undoubtedly agree with Nick Smith's self-assessment—that he is not a miracle man—could he encourage Nick Smith to at least become a mediocre Minister who actually builds some affordable houses?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: If we are looking for examples of mediocrity we do not need to go any further than the Labour Party that is for sure—there are plenty of them. Minister Smith has delivered special housing areas HomeStart grants the new Auckland Unitary Plan the Crown building programme in Auckland the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity the Resource Management Act reform bill unit title corporate reform urban development authorities and Building Act liability reform. What an outstanding contribution from a team led by Nick Smith.Mr SPEAKER: Order! A little less interjection from both sides thank you.Andrew Little: Notwithstanding his list of things that have contributed nothing towards greater housing affordability given that after 9 years his Government is delivering the lowest level of homeownership in 66 years and houses built on public land are being snapped up by speculators when will he wake up and see that it is time to build truly affordable houses stop the speculators and ensure that every Kiwi family has a place they can call their own?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member is just wrong about what he is saying. I mean he is even unhappy about the announcement today of 700 new houses in the Hutt Valley which will be reasonably priced houses. But the good news for the Hutt Valley is that it is just the start because there are thousands of houses in the Hutt Valley that can be rebuilt land used more efficiently and over the next 10 years we are going to rebuild the social housing stock in the Hutt Valley."