Hague Kevin: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHague Kevin: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2439. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.KEVIN HAGUE (Green) to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that “There is not a housing crisis” in New Zealand?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance) on behalf of theMinister of Finance: I thank the member for his question and note for his benefit that the GDP figure was 3.5 percent—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just answer the question.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I do agree with the Prime Minister. There is certainly a shortage of housing supply in one part of New Zealand which of course is Auckland which is why we are agreeing a range of things with Auckland and encouraging the increase in consenting of houses and apartments and so on over 3 years. But I point out to the member that for the rest of New Zealand taken as a whole there has actually been no increase in the median house price over the last year and in addition mortgage interest rates are very low. So we have a localised challenge in Auckland around house and land supply. For the rest of the country actually there is not a housing crisis at all and to describe New Zealanders being in housing crisis for Auckland is I think a little hyperbolical.Kevin Hague: Does the Minister accept that an average median house sale price in Auckland last year of $621800 and an average median household income for Aucklanders aged 20 to 34 of just $48600 mean that it is almost impossible for most young Aucklanders to buy a house now and will be even more so in the future given the way house prices are rising?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I do not think it is a fair comparison to compare the price of houses for the whole of a city and then look at a small subset of the buying population and suggest that those two are directly comparable. But nevertheless we know there are challenges in the housing market in Auckland. But I can report to the member the good news which is that there has been a very significant increase in consents granted and construction commenced in Auckland. I myself was flying over Auckland just the other day. I look at projects like Millwater which is being built for 10000 people. I look at the big apartment complexes being built in Albany and in the central city. I look at the Whenuapai and Hobsonville projects. I look at what is happening in Tāmaki. Actually there is very very big investment and that is only one part of Auckland and its growth.Kevin Hague: When will he tell the 82.8 percent of Aucklanders aged 20 to 34 who did not own their own homes at the last census that it is unlikely that they ever will?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: With the greatest respect I do not know that you can actually suggest that would happen at all. Somebody who is at the age of 20 is not necessarily as likely as someone who is significantly older to own their own home. And the key about actually increasing homeownership in Auckland is to provide more options for people to start out in their first homes. I have mentioned some for the member: Millwater Hobsonville Whenuapai Albany Long Bay Grafton Māngere Tāmaki Weymouth. There is a lot of investment being made—Kevin Hague: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister is repeating the same speech he gave in answer to the previous supplementary question.Mr SPEAKER: That is for me as the Speaker to decide when the Minister has—Kevin Hague: That is my point of order.Mr SPEAKER: Well the response to that I am saying to the member—I will determine when I have decided the answer has gone on for too long. It is not the prerogative of the member.Kevin Hague: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: A further point of order or are we relitigating?Kevin Hague: Requesting clarification of your ruling. Are you ruling that in fact members may not raise a point of order to point out that a Minister is in fact giving a speech?Mr SPEAKER: I am suggesting to the member that such a point of order will lead to disorder. It is my job to adjudicate the question time in this House. I will determine when an answer is going on for too long. Towards the end of that answer we were listing a whole lot of suburbs that had been listed. That is a fair point. But the first part of the answer I thought was a genuine attempt by the Minister to address the question that was asked by the member.Kevin Hague: If in his opinion there is not a housing crisis despite the lowest homeownership rates nationally since 1951 and plummeting house affordability in our largest city what specific signs should New Zealanders look for to know that we might be in a housing crisis in the future?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: For better or worse we have had declining homeownership in New Zealand as the member points out for a very very very long time which suggests that there is actually a change in the approach that some people are taking to house—Hon Members: How long?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Something like 60 years. And there are definitely opportunities and definitely challenges in Auckland in housing. But to suddenly call it a crisis when you have seen something happening over 65 years—or thereabouts—sounds at the least politically convenient. The real challenge in Auckland is to boost supply of new housing in that city and as I have said a number of times for the member this afternoon—and I would be happy to list them again but I suspect the Speaker does not need to hear them again—there are significant developments right across Auckland and very high and growing levels of consents and construction.