Ngaro Alfred: Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 16 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10070. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (National): Kia orana. I stand and rise and am proud to take a call on the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill in its first reading. The intent of this bill is very clear. It is about Government it is about councils and it is about streamlining a consenting process for new housing developments. That is the intent of this bill. That is the sense. This is legislation that will apply for 3 years. The first accord has been signed by Auckland. That should make Mr Twyford happy but it does not. It does not make him happy. Why? Because it was signed by Mr Brown himself who is a member of the Labour Party. What is really quite clear is that what this does for Auckland is ensure that it sets a target of 39000 homes consented over 3 years—far better than the current arrangement which is 3600 homes each year.We have heard a lot of rhetoric. We have heard a lot of calls asking where the plan is. We know that in order for housing development to happen we need to focus on five key areas. The first area is around land supply—land supply.Hon Maryan Street: I know.ALFRED NGARO: So we know about that. But what you do not know—what you do not know Mrs Street—is this—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson): Order! I do know.ALFRED NGARO: In your place of Nelson—we are talking about the place of Auckland. Let us take the area of Mr Twyford OK? Let us talk about land supply. The talk is that it is unaffordable. Well let us take this: on here right over here now you can go on to TradeMe into the property section and you can purchase a place in Vitex Lane which is in Waitakere behind the Waitematā rugby club with three bedrooms one bathroom and it costs $265000.Here is the rhetoric. They take the average in Auckland which is what? Does anybody know on the other side? Let me just tell you that $675000 is the average. That is correct. But the thing is that as first-home buyers you do not buy at the average price. You buy a home at the entry point. Many of us who have worked hard have done that. Our first home that we bought was not $675000; it was probably what it really is right here: $265000 three bedrooms and in Waitakere. Yes Mr Twyford you would know about that. Here this is really clear. By providing for the issue around land supply you enter in at $400000. What that means is that others can then go on and maybe buy a $600000 home. What does that do? It provides other opportunities for others to enter into the market. That is what it does.Here is the other thing that is really important: material costs. I have another question for the other side: what is the average cost of building per square metre in New Zealandat the moment? Do we know? Do we know? No we do not. Why? I will tell you what if I were to cross to the Greens to the 49 percent members they would be able to tell us. I know Jan Logie would be able to tell us. She knows because the Greens have got a housing policy that everyone is listening to at the moment. The average cost per square metre is $1700. We know that is unaffordable. We know that is unaffordable hence the reason that the second part of the plan is to work on the cost of building. The third part of the plan is around infrastructure. The fourth part of the plan is productivity and construction in the sector. Compliance cost is the big issue. We know that is the big issue hence the reason why this accord is working.But those out there who are listening should not be afraid. This is not about the big Government coming along to take over. What it is saying is that where the council cannot come to an agreement where the accord is not possible the Government will then come in to ensure that the affordability the accessibility to homes is there as well. [Interruption] It is not the scaremongering of the other side. It is No. 1 whether it is accessible to buy and affordable. Yes at $265000 you can buy your first home. I know families and I know people who have done that. Secondly we are reducing material costs. Why? Because at $1700 per square metre it is just not affordable.This bill is addressing the key issues around affordability. It is a plan. But we excuse the other side. You have only just received the bill so you have not actually read it. Instead you just keep talking about one issue. This is a great bill. We look forward to the select committee stage to having the debate and to sitting down with people who actually know about building and planning and about making a difference for our communities. I commend this bill to the House.