Sepuloni Carmel: Infrastructure Bill — In Committee 
Sepuloni Carmel: Infrastructure Bill — In Committee 
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CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour) 
:  
I support what my colleague Moana Mackey has just said in respect of this bill the Infrastructure Bill. Labour remains opposed to the repeal of the Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Act under Part 4 of this bill. 
It is appropriate that I speak on this bill today because on Monday night in Waitakere we held a public meeting on housing. It was a big coincidence given the spotlight on housing in Waitakere this week. Things that came up at the meeting that are pertinent to this bill were the crisis that is occurring in housing and that not only do people not have access to appropriate social housing but there is no access to affordable housing as well. Both of those things were the big themes that were heard at the public meeting held on Monday night. 
It makes absolutely no sense first and foremost that the repeal of the Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Act was placed in the Infrastructure Bill. As my colleague said previously it is almost like an attempt to hide it away so that no one would know what was going on. 
Most New Zealanders still agree that owning a house is a big part of being a Kiwi as is being able to raise children in the same place in a community where they can access the same sports clubs go to the same schools and grow up alongside the same children. But what we now see because of a lack of affordable housing is that many of those children are in transient families. They move around from one suburb one town or one city to another as their parents struggle to find not only employment but also adequate affordable housing for their children. 
It makes sense that local authorities play a part in providing affordable housing and play a part in the provision of social housing for their communities because they are at the coal-face in respect of the needs of their communities and they know what is required. The Government keeps saying over and over again that it is not for central government to dictate what happens nationally. However the Government is taking away the rights of local authorities to have a say on social housing and affordable housing in their communities. Members on this side of the Chamber think that a slight contradiction is occurring at the moment in respect of this legislation. 
The problem with repealing the Act is that members on that side of the Chamber have been trying to tell people that it was almost like it was compulsory for the councils to provide social housing and affordable housing but that was merely an option in the Act which local authorities could take up if they saw the need for it to occur. If we repeal this part of the legislation we will take away that option. Instead the developers will have every right in the world to develop property purely because of their bottom line their profits with no recognition of the social needs that may be required in communities. Members on this side are incredibly concerned about that. 
A couple of things came up at the public meeting on Monday night that are pertinent to this bill. One is the ageing population and how much trouble this country will be in if elderly people do not own their homes and we do not have social housing or affordable housing in place. Down the track our younger generation will have to ensure that elderly people are adequately housed. Why would we not do something now to ensure that we are putting the structures in place to make sure that we can look after the elderly in the long term? It makes sense to do that. It is common sense but unfortunately members on that side of the Chamber do not seem to know what common sense is. We are concerned. 
There are a number of other things that I know my colleagues wish to discuss in respect of this bill. Labour has put forward two typescript amendments for which I thank Labour’s spokesperson on housing Moana Mackey. One typescript amendment provides for the protection of affordable housing by removing the proposed changes from the bill. By doing that the Government will ensure that our local authorities will still have a say in what goes on in respect of putting the necessary infrastructure in place for affordable housing and social housing. 
In respect of the other typescript amendment that my colleague Moana Mackey who is Labour’s spokesperson on housing has put up Labour is disappointed that the Government has decided to remove the prohibition of the restrictive covenants that aim to exclude affordable housing. This is something else that needs to be discussed in detail. It is about protection. It is about ensuring that our councils have a say on where our social housing goes.