Lotu-Iiga Sam: Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLotu-Iiga Sam: Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 16 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10096. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie): It is a pleasure to rise and speak on the first reading of the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill. I want to again thank the Minister next to me the Hon Dr Nick Smith for his vision hard work and determination and for bringing these solutions to this House tonight.Budget 2013 as we heard from the Hon Bill English makes bold changes to the way that we will deliver social housing assistance to those most in need. We are ensuring that housing is in the right sizes in the right places and in the right conditions for those who need it most. This bill will help address the issues that Labour quite frankly did not have the intestinal fortitude or the appetite to fix. It will increase the pool of resources available to our service providers and get much needed support to those in need.You see Labour broke the housing sector by its inept leadership under the direction of former Ministers Maharey Chris Carter and Maryan Street. This infamous triumvirate of slum landlords provided cold damp and mouldy homes to those most in need. New Zealanders are grateful that this Government will have insulated every Housing New Zealand home by the end of this year. You see that triumvirate oversaw a sector where the average price of housing in Auckland between 1999 and 2008 grew by 91 percent.Hon Dr Nick Smith: How much?Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Ninety-one percent—two and a half times the rate that those prices are going up under this National Government. Those members oversaw interest rates at an all-time high of 8 percent a rate of inflation of over 4 percent and a waiting list that grew longer and longer and longer. That is absolutely disgraceful and itis a direct example of the type of hands-on leadership those opposite continue to preach in this House.It was hands on with the economy and they increased house prices inflation and interest rates; hands on with electricity and they wiped $500 million out of the pockets of hard-working New Zealanders; and it was hands on with ACC—and Mr Smith would know this—and the social insurance scheme almost became insolvent. You cannot trust and the people in New Zealand cannot trust Labour to get its hands on anything. If you compare that with the John Key - led National Government you will see that it has delivered the lowest interest rates for over 50 years the lowest inflation rate since 1999—Iain Lees-Galloway: No growth.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: —under 1 percent and Mr Lees-Galloway knows that—and continued economic growth during the most turbulent financial times globally. That may not matter to Maryan Street and it certainly sounds like it does not matter to Miss Dalziel but it matters to the average Kiwi paying a mortgage and supporting their family. This bill is part of our reforms to deliver assistance to those most in need and those who need social housing.As the Minister has already stated this bill extends income-related rents to community housing providers. It transfers the needs-assessment process to the Ministry of Social Development. It provides reviewable tenancy for all Housing New Zealand tenants. You see we on this side of the House are about growing the involvement of those who are best placed to help our most vulnerable. Government is not the only answer. If we are to be lambasted for using the skills assets and expertise of our social housing providers like the Salvation Army CORT Housing and others—Hon Lianne Dalziel: Transit camps.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: —then so be it.Hon Lianne Dalziel: Transit camps that’s what you’re offering. What about communities? We need communities strong communities.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: The Greens call this privatisation; we call it helping those families that most need help. Community housing providers—and Miss Dalziel knows this—can often do a better job of meeting the need because they provide wraparound services for their clients. The Minister has already referred to the fact that they provide churches NGOs and community providers. Often they integrate their housing with support for people with disabilities mental health issues addictions around drug and alcohol as well as family dysfunction. There is no reason why a family in need should receive less support just because the bricks and mortar of their house are owned by a community provider rather than the Government. So what is important is that those most in need get that support that they require.We are looking to bring in renewable tenancies for all Housing New Zealand tenants and I also want to commend the former Minister the Hon Phil Heatley because he began that work under his tenure. This will allow people to transition and give them support to move into alternative housing when their situations improve—Hon Lianne Dalziel: Transit camps. No communities.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: —and they are able to become independent. Miss Dalziel Miss Street and their former colleagues oversaw tenancies where people with incomes of over $80000 were living in State houses while thousands languished and suffered on waiting lists. In Maungakiekie I have often seen three-bedroom homes occupied by single tenants who refuse to move to more appropriate accommodation and make way for families who are actually in need. This bill is about improving access tosocial housing for those who actually need it. State housing will always be there for those who need it and for the duration of that need. That is most important.As the Minister has already said we are making a record investment of $2.9 billion into Housing New Zealand over the next 3 years. We are tackling the issues that matter to New Zealanders. We were elected on a platform to deliver better smarter and more innovative public services. With this bill we are delivering on that promise. I commend this bill to the House.