5. Homelessness—AucklandPHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū) to the Minister for Social HousingHomelessness—Auckland5. PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū) to the Minister for Social Housing: Does she think there is sufficient accommodation for the homeless in Auckland given that there are now people advertising for driveway and shower" rentals?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister): on behalf of the Minister for Social Housing: There is certainly a need for more accommodation in Auckland of all types—that is affordable family accommodation social housing and emergency accommodation. That is why it is so positive that the Auckland Council has signed off a unitary plan that will allow for twice as many houses to be built. In respect of emergency accommodation the Government announced $41 million in the Budget to pay for more emergency housing places and new non-recoverable special needs grants to pay for emergency accommodation. This is the first time any Government has directly funded emergency housing and there is intensive work that has been going on for 18 months with social agencies to improve the availability and sustainability of emergency housing.Phil Twyford: Is this the brighter future that John Key promised when a 25-year-old construction worker on the minimum wage cannot find affordable rental housing and is advertising to sleep in his car in someone's garden while paying rent to use the kitchen and bathroom facilities? After 8 years in Government is he really going to blame that on Auckland Council?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The construction worker has shown up to the biggest construction boom the biggest house building programme that New Zealand has ever seen and at the age of 25 he might be one of the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation's 10000 apprentices. Yes he may find it a bit tough finding accommodation in Auckland but he will stick with it because the opportunity for him is enormous.Phil Twyford: Is it ambitious for New Zealand that property speculators got tax breaks of $650 million last year while more than 42000 people are homeless on his watch? Hon BILL ENGLISH: There are a large number of people investing in new houses in Auckland. That is why Auckland is building more houses than ever and will for the next few years. Of course what the member did not point out is that the Government abolishing depreciation in the 2010 tax package meant that it was an increase in revenue of about a billion dollars that came from that measure.Phil Twyford: When an independent study by Otago University found that more than 4000 people are living in cars on the street or in improvised dwellings does she think her funding of 800 places is anywhere near enough emergency housing to deal with the problem?Hon BILL ENGLISH: As the member knows if the Government put a billion dollars into emergency housing it cannot create houses just by writing out a cheque. The houses are being built rapidly now and actually it is the responsibility of the council to ensure enough houses are built. That is what the Auckland Unitary Plan was all about and it is unfortunate for that member that the council's decision on the unitary plan showed he had been misleading the public that somehow the Government decided how many houses are being built. Actually it is the council and we support the decisions they have made because they are now enabling the biggest construction boom Auckland and the country have ever seen.Phil Twyford: Will he confirm that the independent hearings panel estimates that a shortfall of dwellings in Auckland of 42000 has accumulated since his Government has been in office and that Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) officials project that the shortfall in building will not be eliminated until 2030?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I cannot confirm the first number and just for the member's benefit officials' projections about what would happen in Christchurch proved to be wrong—very wrong. They had a very negative view about what was possible and how long it would take. Due to the enormous efforts of my colleague the Hon Gerry Brownlee and thousands of construction workers in Christchurch Christchurch house prices are now flat to falling because of an extraordinary effort to build houses. I suspect that things will unfold more rapidly in Auckland than MBIE officials believe is the case.Phil Twyford: That's right—everybody else is wrong.Hon BILL ENGLISH: No just you."