11. Question No. 11—Building and ConstructionANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua) to the Minister for Building and ConstructionQuestion No. 11—Building and Construction11. ANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua) to the Minister for Building and Construction: What steps has she taken to ensure a sustainable construction workforce for New Zealand?Hon JENNY SALESA (Minister for Building and Construction): Malo ni Mr Speaker. Lifting the capacity and capability of the construction workforce is key to a number of our Government's priorities in housing and economic development including KiwiBuild. That is why I established the ministerial group on construction workforce which oversaw the development of a mobilising construction skills action plan which my colleagues and I announced a few weeks ago. The construction skills action plan has six priorities intended to work together to increase the profile of construction the number of people entering careers in construction and training and industry and business investment in skills and training development. This mobilising action plan we will continue to add to to ensure that we build the skills that New Zealand needs for our future.Andrew Bayly: Will the decrease in the number of people undertaking apprenticeships and brick- and block-laying in the year to 31 August 2018 achieve her plans for a sustainable construction workforce?Hon JENNY SALESA: The reality is that we came into this Government and we were confronted with the fact that we were short by many many thousands of people in the building and construction area not just block-laying—block-laying plus many others like carpentry and plumbing. What we are told at the moment by the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is that we are short by 30000 skilled people. This did not happen over 12 months but what we as a Government are committed to doing is ensuring we train up New Zealanders to build our houses and our infrastructure.Hon Chris Hipkins: Can the Minister confirm that of the data that has been released by the Minister of Education in response to written questions from the Opposition about the various building and construction trades in fact almost all of them have shown increases in the number of trainees since this Government took office and block-laying is one of the few that's shown a decrease?SPEAKER: Order! The Minister has no responsibility for that.Hon Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. If that is the case then all of the questions are out of order because they're all questions relating to written question answers that I have given the member.SPEAKER: And if the member had said that and that was the basis of his questions then they mightn't have been out of order. But he didn't and they're not.Andrew Bayly: Will the decrease in the number of people undertaking apprenticeships in floor- and wall-tiling in the year to 31 August 2018 achieve her plans for a sustainable construction workforce?Hon JENNY SALESA: The reality is that there is an increase in trained people in apprenticeships right now. There are 46000 people who are training to work in the construction and skills area. We are absolutely focused on ensuring that we train up New Zealanders to ensure that we build up our houses. There are a few decreases as the member states but overall there are 46000 who are training in apprenticeships for construction and workforce.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is that Minister saying that despite the tens of billions spent on the Christchurch rebuild the tradespeople were not trained to be prepared for the building programme of this present Government?Hon JENNY SALESA: Unfortunately that last Government did not take the opportunity to train up New Zealanders when we had the opportunity with Christchurch. We would not be in this position if we had used the Christchurch earthquake rebuild to train up New Zealanders. We wouldn't be short by 30000 skilled people but we are absolutely committed to ensure that we train up New Zealanders to build the houses that we need as well as the infrastructure for New Zealand.Andrew Bayly: Will the decrease in the number of people undertaking apprenticeships in heating and ventilation in the year to 31 August 2018 achieve her plans for a sustainable construction workforce?Hon JENNY SALESA: As the member is focused on heating and block-laying we are focused on making sure we have enough carpenters enough plumbers and enough builders to build the 71000 residential houses that we're short by. That is what our Government is committed to doing and that is why we have a ministerial group made up of nine Ministers to ensure each and every one of us and our ministries puts our best foot forward to ensure we train up enough people.Tamati Coffey: What has been the response of the construction sector to the construction skills action plan?Hon JENNY SALESA: The construction sector has responded very positively to the announcement of the Government's construction skills action plan. For instance the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation stated The plan will cultivate skills … industry desperately needs." The Construction Strategy Group key construction sector leaders are supportive of the Government's plan commenting—and I quote—"The industry will strongly support these initiatives."Andrew Bayly: Is she concerned that the announcement today of 10 two-bedroom houses in Te Kauwhata will cause a building boom—Hon Phil Twyford: Te Kauwhata.Andrew Bayly: —that will put massive pressure on the construction workforce?SPEAKER: Order! I want to ask members just to be a little bit more tolerant than they are being. People have a different range of skills in the Māori language. I'm not perfect and there are members on both sides of the House who have a lot to learn. Mocking people who make mistakes is not useful.Hon JENNY SALESA: Can the member repeat his question please.Andrew Bayly: Is she concerned that the announcement today of 10 two-bedroom houses in Te Kauwhata will cause a building boom that will put massive pressure on the construction workforce?Hon JENNY SALESA: We know from the National Construction Pipeline Report that we will have a building boom right up until at least December of 2023. This is one of the reasons why it is absolutely important that we look at training enough people. But what the member also needs to take into account is the fact that we are looking at new ways of building houses in Aotearoa New Zealand. With prefabrication we're building houses that take only about three weeks. One builder and three semi-skilled builders can build a house in just three weeks. So we are looking at new ways of ensuring we build houses."