Auchinvole Chris: Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Financial Assistance Package) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Auchinvole Chris: Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Financial Assistance Package) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:672;Page:18660] 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National—West Coast - Tasman) 
: 
 I am very pleased to rise today to support the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Financial Assistance Package) Amendment Bill. First of all I would like to acknowledge the Minister Maurice Williamson for his work on this bill. 
Hon Christopher Finlayson 
: Outstanding. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: He is an outstanding man as the Attorney-General says. We are becoming so used to this Minister coming to the House to give us good news from his various portfolios—good news. In question time it happened again today and this bill is yet another example of the good work this Minister is doing in spite of the criticism that gets levelled at him from the other side of the House. But wait— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: No no. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: —but yes. But wait there will be more about that later on. 
To adopt a serious tone for a moment because this is a very serious business we are all relatively familiar with this dire situation that many thousands of families have found themselves in when they discovered that their home is leaking and rotten. It has been salutary to listen to some of the submitters who came to the Local Government and Environment Committee. Often those submissions were not unfortunately within the scope of the bill but none the less the personal misery the personal discomfort was palpable. In most cases we are talking about someone’s largest asset into which they have invested their life-savings. 
It has been over a decade now and this long-running problem has been waiting for the leadership that this Government has now provided. When I say “waiting for the leadership” let us just see what this leadership has been in the past. In 2002 a headline— 
Hon Christopher Finlayson 
: That would be Helen. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: Well this was a headline in the  
New Zealand Herald 
: 
“Rotting buildings crisis is just a beat-up says Clark”. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Who said that? 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: The Prime Minister of the day. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: When did she say that? 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: In 2002. The article stated that she had “dismissed the leaky building crisis as a Herald 
‘beat-up’ because only about 1000 calls—rather than tens of thousands—have so far been logged …”. It also stated that she “told Newstalk ZB host Paul Holmes that she had not taken too much notice of the newspaper’s numerous stories because the Herald was well known for ‘banging on’ about issues of no substance.” It stated that her comments had surprised people and they said that things had to change. Well this Government has changed things with this bill. [ 
Interruption 
] Indeed. 
This is a very interesting bill to be part of and may I express my appreciation of the way committee members from both sides of the House worked together because everybody felt that we had to make this bill as good as it could be. It is less of a strong legislative imperative than it is a sort of treaty between interested parties. It is not designed to give anyone a free ride or a cheap ride. It is designed to meet the requirements and to give certainty. That was repeated oft-times by submitters: people asking to be given certainty or to gain certainty. Local bodies wanted certainty over their responsibilities under this bill. The Government was giving certainty to people of its contribution. The banks have been involved in the discussion and they have started to show that they are willing to be involved in the same way. So it is more of an opportunity for involvement under the rules that this bill provides. My involvement has been as the chair of the select committee and as I say I thank all members who have participated. 
The Local Government and Environment Committee received 39 written submissions. We heard from nine of those submitters. Overall the submissions gave general support to this financial assistance package. There are a number of changes that the committee has recommended and I will run through those briefly. We recommended dividing the bill into Parts 1 and 2. The changes will clearly divide the bill between the amendments to the principal Act—the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act 2006—and the proposed amendments to the Public Finance Act 1989. We have also recommended that the commencement clauses include a set commencement date. Originally the entire bill would have been brought into force by an Order in Council. Recommended changes would allow different provisions to be brought into force at different times by an Order in Council. Any provision that has not already come into force will then come into force on the first anniversary of the Royal assent. 
This was considered a very advantageous way of going about it by the parties concerned. But as a result of recommendations from the Regulations Review Committee the commencement of legislation by an Order in Council should be used only in rare and exceptional circumstances. So we have recommended a change that remedies this situation while still allowing flexibility around the commencements of various provisions. In addition there are various changes to definitions used in the bill. 
The financial assistance package will get leaky homes fixed faster. It will encourage people to take action with confidence. It will give huge relief to the people who have been involved. It is about spreading costs evenly. The package is voluntary. We expect that homeowners will be lining up to take this offer. The National Government has stepped up to the plate and got on with a way of finding a solution to this long-running problem. I am proud to be part of a Government through the select committee process that has brought this bill forward. I commend the bill to the House. Thank you.