Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:664;Page:12170] 
8. 
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: Does he believe that all New Zealanders should have access to appropriate and affordable housing? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 As I have stated repeatedly in the House this Government is committed to assisting New Zealanders who are most in need. 
Moana Mackey 
: Is it now Government policy that if someone legally challenges a Housing New Zealand Corporation tenancy termination for antisocial behaviour all maintenance work on State houses in that community will stop until the legal action is resolved? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: No. 
Moana Mackey 
: If the answer to my first question is no why is there one rule for the Pomare community and another for every other community? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: I have made no secret of the fact that when we came into Government we were faced with an Auditor-General’s report that said that $2 billion worth of maintenance and upgrades needed to be done to State houses and that they were in a state of serious disrepair. Unfortunately Pomare not only has the problem of houses in a state of serious disrepair; it had an antisocial behaviour problem because the previous Government had tolerated antisocial behaviour in those houses—serious antisocial behaviour by gangs. We will not tolerate it. 
Moana Mackey 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I deliberately made my question very specific. I asked why he was applying one rule to Pomare and one rule to every single other community and he did not address that question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I listened very carefully because the member’s question was commendably to the point but I confess that I believe that the Minister answered in terms of the difference: the difference was he argues—I believe—that in Pomare an extensive degree of refurbishment is required. I took it that that was the difference he was telling the House about. 
Moana Mackey 
: Has everyone on the waiting list turned down an offer from the Housing New Zealand Corporation to live in one of the Pomare properties; if not where did he get his information when he said on TV on Tuesday night that Pomare’s bad reputation means that no one wants to live in these properties? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: As the member opposite has pointed out there are 10000 people on the waiting list and we have not offered them all a place in Pomare. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I gave the Minister the benefit of the doubt on the previous answer to a very straightforward question and I believe that this question was straightforward too. A little more helpful answer would I think have been helpful. I invite Moana Mackey to ask her question again. 
Moana Mackey 
: I will help the Minister by asking it again. Has everyone on the waiting list in the Wellington region turned down an offer from the Housing New Zealand Corporation to live in one of the Pomare properties; if not where did he get his information when he said on TV on Tuesday night that Pomare’s bad reputation means that no one wants to live in these properties? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: It is my understanding that houses in Pomare have been offered 84 times to various tenants and have been turned down 84 times. That tells us that it has a name for serious antisocial behaviour. 
Todd McClay 
: What reports has the Minister seen—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I apologise to the honourable member. I say to on this occasion the Labour front bench that the level of interjection means I cannot hear. The member may not be particularly happy with an answer but he should not just yell endlessly. There will be a further chance to question the Minister if he is not happy with the answer. 
Todd McClay 
: What reports has the Minister seen in the media today about community redevelopment projects? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: I have here the front page of the  
North Shore Times 
 which features an article “Happy in New Zealand homes”. It says that my announcement last week drew cheers from tenants who attended the official opening of 44 new units in Northcote. The quote is Mr Heatley did it “amidst cheers from residents”. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Is the Minister prepared to have the Housing New Zealand Corporation offer houses in Pomare that are currently vacant to all persons currently on the Lower Hutt or Upper Hutt waiting lists? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: Eleven of the houses in the area that the member mentions are available for letting. Not everyone in the area who is on the waiting list wants the houses because they do not have the right number of bedrooms. But they are available for letting. My understanding is that houses have been offered for letting 84 times and have been declined 84 times. That is because no one wants to live in the neighbourhood generally speaking because for the last 9 years no one did anything about the serious antisocial behaviour there.