Little AndrewGENERAL DEBATEANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. In a spirit of great positivity can I say that last week New Zealand heard some very positive news. We heard that the economy has grown by 3.5 percent compared with the previous year and the Government has been at pains to point out that this is one of the strongest levels of economic growth of any developed country across the OECD. So this ought to be a cause for celebration and in some circumstances it would be. But of course if you look at different figures—if you look at the per capita rate of growth—not so much. It is not necessarily so good. And according to Bill English's answers in question time today if you sort of squint your eyes and turn the page up the other way you will see it trending in a direction but actually not necessarily up. There are other numbers that tell a different story about New Zealand. The week before last we saw the numbers from the income survey that told us that on average the bottom 20 percent of households in New Zealand now spend more than half their income on housing. We heard that 28 percent of families in New Zealand are spending nearly a third of their income just on housing either paying a mortgage or paying rent—just having a roof over their heads—and yet the top 20 percent of households by income have seen the proportion of their income going on housing falling and the average cost to them in terms of proportion of income is just 9 percent. We have a problem in New Zealand still of rapidly growing inequality. It is unfair and it is wrong. It is little wonder then that we are also home to that very embarrassing statistic in a country of 4½ million of having 42000 people who are homeless. For far too many New Zealanders their incomes are simply not keeping up with the real cost of living and we heard the figure that for the top 10 percent of earners their income is now nearly 10 times—10 times—the income of the bottom 10 percent. Thirty years ago it was just six times that. Housing costs are out of control. The average house in Auckland is now $1 million and across New Zealand it is $750000. We have a young generation coming out of further education and training saddled with debt and it is affecting their life choices and their life chances. We might have a growing economy but we have something else that has grown at an extraordinary rate and that is inequality. We can do better. We can be a better New Zealand.You see a better New Zealand will make sure that there are affordable houses for all New Zealanders to buy and to rent. A better New Zealand will pass the laws work with the developers work with the councils and work with iwi to make sure that this can happen. A better New Zealand will make sure that there is a State housing organisation that is about looking after the vulnerable not about passing on excessive profits to the Government of the day. A better New Zealand will make sure that we have a well-supported and fairly funded education system that will give our children the chance of success. A better New Zealand will make sure that every school will have the resources and the means and the leadership to offer our children—all children—the best teaching and learning. A better New Zealand will make sure that we have a health system that has healthcare available to all New Zealanders when they need it and will not discriminate against the elderly or depending on where you live. A better New Zealand will make sure that we have a police force that has the resources and the support to keep our communities safe. A better New Zealand does not have rising burglaries rising assaults and rising violence. A better New Zealand will go the extra mile for our young people who are presently not in work to make sure they get work they get training they get skills and they get ahead. A better New Zealand will get to work on lifting incomes and will work with business and with workers and their unions so that they can work together to lift productivity and lift their incomes and live with greater dignity. Labour stands for that better New Zealand. Labour stands for dignity. Labour stands for a successful future for all New Zealand.