Twyford Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTwyford Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:9147. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū) to the Minister for Building and Housing: When the Prime Minister said first-home buyers in Auckland might have to consider an apartment in order to get on to the property ladder did he mean that the Government supports the increased intensification now being considered by the Independent Hearings Panel?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Building and Housing): The Government’s view has always been that Auckland needs to grow both up and out. The core reason Auckland housing prices have increased so dramatically since 2000 is that there have been vocal opponents to both greenfield development as well as intensification who have been able to use the council planning and Resource Management Act legislation to stall both. Special housing areas are helping to resolve this problem in the short term but long-term the answer is getting the unitary plan and the Resource Management Act reforms right. As the Prime Minister said on Monday intensification makes sense broadly but the Auckland Council and independent hearings panel need to work through the detail on the extent and the areas where it is appropriate.Phil Twyford: Is it not true that National Party members in the leafy eastern suburbs are in open revolt against the intensification plans being advocated by the Prime Minister the Deputy Prime Minister and the housing Minister?Mr SPEAKER: It is doubtful whether there is much responsibility for National Party voters but on that basis I will allow the Minister to still address the question.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Indeed Mr Speaker. Look there is a range of views across Auckland. The views I find most contradictory are those of members opposite who have demanded that there be increased housing and every time there is a new greenfield subdivision or there is a project like Three Kings Labour members are out there opposing it as hard as they can. I simply say to members opposite: “Stop the moaning and the whingeing. Get on board with the Government’s programme because we are solving the problems.”Dr Parmjeet Parmar: What progress has the Government achieved to date on increasing housing supply intensification and affordability in Auckland? [Interruption]Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Mr Speaker firstly—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have not called the Minister yet.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Firstly the pace of new home construction has increased fourfold from 200 per month to now consistently over 800 per month. Secondly the pace of new apartment and townhouse construction in Auckland has increased sevenfold from 60 a month to 420 a month. In recent months close to half the new dwellings being consented in Auckland are for apartments and townhouses. I am also encouraged that housing affordability in Auckland over the past 6 months has improved as house prices have cooled and interest rates have fallen to 15-year lows. The House should welcome that a bank in New Zealand is now offering for the first time in 50 years interest rates of less than 4 percent.Phil Twyford: If the Government is in favour of intensification why then are senior National Party figures like Ōrākei Local Board chair Desley Simpson Helensville aspirant Councillor Cameron Brewer and MP Simon O’Connor openly campaigning against intensification in the eastern suburbs?Mr SPEAKER: In so far as there is ministerial responsibility the Hon Dr Nick Smith.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Firstly the member misrepresents the position that I have heard from Simon O’Connor which is actually very fair and representative of his constituents. What I would like that member to explain is why the Labour chair of the board opposes the Three Kings development when for years I have had lectures from members of the Labour Party that support intensification and new apartments and townhouses in Auckland.David Seymour: Can the Minister name a city worldwide that has significantly improved housing affordability through a policy of intensification?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The Government’s view and my view is that if you look internationally if you want to have greater housing affordability you need to do both. You need to allow cities to grow and that involves new greenfield development. But whether you look at the New Yorks the Londons whether it be the Sydneys or the like actually you also need to provide for intensification and that is why the Government’s view is that a balanced growth path of both is required.Phil Twyford: Does he support increased intensification in Auckland’s eastern suburbs and the North Shore?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Yes and if the member reads the Government’s submission to the independent hearings panel we have made plain that we broadly support intensification. The discussion is to be had around where there is a pretty good consensus that it needs to occur around town centres and around transport hubs and where there is a detailed debate as to how far it goes beyond that our Government has provided for an independent hearings panel. It will listen to submissions and decide on the balance of where that needs to occur.Phil Twyford: If the Auckland Unitary Plan is delayed will he follow through on his earlier threats to overrule Aucklanders or does he only do that to ordinary New Zealanders and not to potential campaign donors?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take offence at the member’s last remark in that question; that was unnecessary.Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is actually quite a serious allegation that has been made. I—[Interruption]—Order! I am going to invite the member to re-ask the question but there can be no suggestion that a decision being made by any Minister is because of potential funding. Ask the question again.Phil Twyford: If the unitary plan is delayed will he follow through on his earlier threats to overrule Aucklanders or does he only do that to ordinary New Zealanders and not the ruling elite?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The current planning rules for Auckland date back to 1993 in each of the previous councils. It is hugely important for Auckland that we get a unitary plan in place. We have the special housing areas legislation that we have been using for the last 4 years to override those old plans and get that fourfold increase in the rate of house build going on in that city. The Government’s preference is to get a smooth transition from those special housing areas to the new Auckland Unitary Plan and we will continue to work with the Auckland Council to achieve that because it actually matters to the very real issue of housing affordability which I thought this House would collectively want us to address.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Point of order Jono Naylor. Oh sorry—[Interruption]. I apologise immediately to Jono Naylor. Point of order the Hon Gerry Brownlee.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Thank you Mr Speaker. If you had not corrected yourself there I might have started singing the “Hallelujah Chorus”. The final comment in that question from Mr Twyford more or less implied that there was influence being exerted on a member from outside the House and for as long as this House has existed that has been an inappropriate way of expressing anything or an inappropriate accusation. You let him off with a previous worse offence but I do think we need to watch it so that those sorts of things are not added into questions and effectively bring the whole House into disrepute by virtue of those occasions.Mr SPEAKER: I thank the Minister. The first question I did certainly find objectionable and I gave the member a chance to rephrase it. He then used words comparing ordinary New Zealanders with the ruling elite. I do not think that added to the quality of the question but I do not think in any way I could have ruled it out as being unparliamentary or against the rules of Parliament.Marama Fox: Kia ora Mr Speaker. What is the Minister doing to address the issues of the whānau from Ihumātao whose area has been designated as a special housing zone?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The specific decisions on that site have been made by the Environment Court and it would be inappropriate for me to overrule a decision that has been made by the court. The owner of that property is Fletcher Residential. They have indicated that they are happy to sit down and to talk with some of the Māori groups that are concerned. The member has made representations to me along those lines; I would be happy to facilitate that because I think there is the capacity on that site to come to a common-sense solution.