8. Housing Affordability—Homeownership Rates Pacific CommunitiesSu'a WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere) to the Minister for Pacific PeoplesHousing Affordability—Homeownership Rates Pacific Communities8. Su'a WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere) to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: Does he stand by his statement in Estimates Hearings for Vote Pacific Peoples that Pacific home ownership levels have increased?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (Minister for Pacific Peoples): E Te Mana Whakawā tēnā koe. I do stand behind my statement in the Estimates hearing that the Statistics New Zealand report published in June shows that nearly 2000 more Pacific people own their home in 2013 than in 2006. Compare that with the last time Labour was in power between 2001 and 2006: the number of Pacific people owning homes over that time decreased by 7000 people.Su'a William Sio: Is the household net worth statistics report incorrect that Pacific peoples' average net worth is $12000 a ninth of the European population's $114000 and that that is largely because Pacific homeownership rates have fallen?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: No that is not correct; it is not because of that at all. What we do know is that Pacific homeownership rates will go up with higher education and we can point to the statistics around early childhood education which is now at 91 percent whereas it was 84 percent under Labour. We can now point to the number of Pasifika students gaining tertiary qualifications which rose by 75 percent between 2008 and 2014.Su'a William Sio: So is Statistics New Zealand wrong when it says Pacific people have had the greatest homeownership rate falls having fallen 34.8 percent to just 18.5 percent?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I say again that the rates that I referred to in that Estimates hearing were on absolute numbers and they have gone up under National.Su'a William Sio: Is his Project Tatupu investigation aiming to increase Pacific homeownership or is it just a way to make Pacific people homeless and unemployed in the regions instead of homeless and unemployed in Auckland?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: No it is not. It is about taking opportunities in the regions where there are jobs and where there will be opportunities for Pacific people. We are making an investigation because we believe that Pacific people deserve the right to work and to gain meaningful employment.Su'a William Sio: Why does he continue to deny the fall of Pacific homeownership when under his Government we now have a growing number of Pacific families in homeless situations living in cars garages boarding homes and living in emergency and overcrowded housing that they do not own?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Again I refer to that member's party's record in Government in 2001 to 2006 and it was pretty poor. Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I just need some cooperation from the Minister. The question was effectively: Why does the Minister continue to deny … ?". I am going to invite Su'a William Sio to repeat the question but you need to address that question rather than just flicking straight back to a previous administration.Su'a William Sio: Why does he continue to deny the fall of Pacific homeownership when under his Government we now have a growing number of Pacific families in homeless situations living in cars garages boarding homes and in overcrowded and emergency housing that they do not own?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: We know that homeownership rates have come down across the board but what I will say is that the Government is focused on building more social housing and more emergency housing. We have implemented special housing areas and expanded the HomeStart scheme for first-home buyers and those are things that benefit Pacific people."