6. Housing Supply—Government ConstructionTODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty) to the Minister for Building and HousingHousing Supply—Government Construction6. TODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty) to the Minister for Building and Housing: Where is the Government directly contracting to build homes as part of its Comprehensive Housing Plan?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Building and Housing): There are over 80 sites across New Zealand where houses are being built on public land through Government agencies. Major sites include Hobsonville Tāmaki McLennan Waimahia Ronaki Road Waterview in Auckland Awatea Welles Street Colombo Street and Vanguard Drive in Christchurch—to just name the top 10 which will deliver over 10000 homes. The Government is building more houses today on public land than at any time in the last quarter-century.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It appears that the Government has tried to pretend that that primary question was in order by capitalising the word Comprehensive". It is an assertion that ought not to be particularly in a primary question. They have been trying to use the word "comprehensive" around their plans all week but it does not properly sit—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! No the member might think it is an assertion but it actually has been identified and authenticated as a fact and that was required before we could accept the question. The Government has a video publication in which it refers to its National's comprehensive housing plan—[Interruption] Order! I expect some respect—[Interruption] Order! If I have to ask a member to leave for interjecting when I am on my feet I will not hesitate to do so. I anticipated this would be raised. I went and sought the evidence. Once the publication was made available whether members agree with the fact or not it is authentication enough for the question to be accepted.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would further point out too that in primary question No. 5 the Rt Hon Winston Peters effectively acknowledges the comprehensive plan by referring to the Government's ability to "comprehensively deal" with this current challenge.Mr SPEAKER: Order! That was not at all helpful.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would just seek some reassurance that the video clip that you are referring to was in fact a Government video clip and not a National Party video clip because if it was a National Party one you would be indicating that in fact any material produced by the National Party is something that we could question Ministers on. Mr SPEAKER: I am unable to—[Interruption] Order! I am not sure of whether it was a National Party clip or a Government piece. I am sorry I cannot answer that.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is the very day when the Chilcot Report comes out in the United Kingdom criticising things like loaded terms like "Operation Enduring Freedom" and "Coalition"—Mr SPEAKER: Can I just have the point of order please.Hon David Parker: Well actually what this is is effectively an attempt to dress up loaded terms that are assertions in a way that ought not to be acceptable as meeting the rules—Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the question had been put forward and it had referred to a "comprehensive housing plan" with a small "c" that in my opinion would have been an opinion of this Government. If I ask this House whether there is a "comprehensive"—small "c"—"comprehensive building plan" I suspect most on my right would say there is and most on my left would say there is not in which case I would not have accepted it because it would have been a breach of Standing Order 380 when it was putting both inference and opinion into the question. So in that regard Mr Parker is absolutely right. Once evidence was presented to me of an effective publication and the Government has taken the opportunity to call it such that gave me confidence to accept the question as being authenticated.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a fresh point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: It is another matter altogether?Chris Hipkins: Yes.Mr SPEAKER: If it is another matter altogether I will hear it. I do not want any further discussion around the authenticity and the right for this question to be here.Chris Hipkins: Well it is related to the authenticity—Mr SPEAKER: No well then it is not a fresh point of order.Chris Hipkins: Well there is a fresh point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: No it is not. [Interruption] Order! I am on my feet. We have had the opportunity to speak to you privately where you continue to raise points of order that you claim are addressing another matter—and you are saying that this is going to address another matter. If it is I am happy to hear it. But if in any way it is just continuing to relitigate a ruling that I have made that in itself leads to disorder Mr Hipkins.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have the video clip. It is a National Party video clip and not a Government video clip. Does that mean that we can question Ministers on anything that is a National Party publication?Mr SPEAKER: No. No and it does not—[Interruption] Order! It does not mean that you can question it. As I said when I sought the authentication I did not bother to clarify whether it was the National Party or a Government—I should have done so; I did not. But it certainly does not mean that in the future the Opposition can question a Government on a party matter. The question has been accepted. It is now some time since it has been asked and I do not think we have had the question so I am going to invite Todd Muller to repeat the question.Todd Muller: How many homes have been completed as part—[Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! If I hear another interjection from Carmel Sepuloni in question time today I will be asking her to leave. Would the member Todd Muller start the question again.Todd Muller: How many homes have been completed as part of the Government's very comprehensive housing programme?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: At Hobsonville 680 homes are finished and 391 are under construction. At Waimahia 155 homes are complete and another 32 are under construction. On that site a home is being completed every third day. At Tāmaki 32 are completed and 122 are being constructed. At McLennan 11 are complete and 52 are under construction. At Awatea 24 are complete and 20 are under construction. Government projects are expected to deliver at least 10000 new homes in Auckland by 2020.Todd Muller: How does the scale of residential building by public agencies compare historically?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: This year Housing New Zealand has budgeted to spend over a billion dollars on maintenance upgrades and new builds. This is double the level—double the level—of the annual investment under the previous Government. Last year Housing New Zealand completed over 800 new homes—that is more than double any year that was achieved under the previous Government—that is homes completed. Housing New Zealand is ramping up its new house build rate with 2000 homes to be completed over the next 2 years and of course that is just Housing New Zealand. There are a large number of other agencies including my own ministry that are directly contracting for house builds.Todd Muller: How much funding is the Government providing to Crown agencies for housing and how does it compare historically?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Government payments to Housing New Zealand need to also take into account the dividend that is paid back to the Government. The average payment to Housing New Zealand has been $600 million per year under this Government with a dividend per year averaging $73 million—i.e. net payments of $500 million per year.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Hon David Parker.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister is not responsible for Housing New Zealand. I am somewhat surprised that the last two questions have been in respect of someone else's responsibilities not his own.Mr SPEAKER: No. I considered the matter quite carefully at the time but I think the matter is related enough for the question to be accepted. Does the Minister wish to complete his answer?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I am sure members opposite do not want the comparison because as compared with the $500 million of net payments this Government has made to Housing New Zealand the previous Government averaged $300 million in payments and $50 million in dividends i.e. net payments of $250 million from the Government—i.e. this Government is providing Housing New Zealand with more than double the funding of the previous Government."