Andersen GinnyVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour): Thank you for the opportunity to stand and speak in this third reading of the rates rebate bill—the Rates Rebate (Retirement Village Residents) Amendment Bill to be precise. It's always good to have a member's bill that makes good sense. That's exactly what this piece of legislation does and I would like to commend the Hon Ruth Dyson on taking an issue and following it through to the end and this enables so many elderly in New Zealand to benefit from what we've seen is an anomaly in the existing law. When the Rates Rebate Act was passed in 1973 there were no such things really as retirement villages here in New Zealand and no such thing as a licence to occupy. But since that time we have seen that more than 26000 New Zealanders now live in retirement villages and around 50 percent of those living in retirement villages are entirely dependent on superannuation—on a fixed income. For those living on a lower wage or a fixed income it matters in terms of every single cent that they can save.So while this amendment—while this change to the law—results in around $610 per year that's a lot of money. That means a lot to someone who's trying to pay for a heating bill who's trying to pay for presents for grandchildren at Christmas who's trying to catch the bus on public transport or who's trying to pay for groceries on a weekly basis on a fixed income. So it's good to see that it's fair and that all New Zealanders can benefit from what's offered through the rates rebate scheme. Where I live in Hutt South there are several large-scale retirement villages which offer a range of care facilities for those who choose to live there. There's a new one just announced only a week ago in Wainuiōmata. In fact the Masonic Villages Trust have invested in a big development that will be kicking off next month—in February. This is a great opportunity for Wainuiōmata because it offers jobs. It offers jobs and even better yet it means that those families who live in Wainuiōmata can make sure that their elderly are able to be visited on a regular basis. It is so important that there is affordable accessible care for all elderly in New Zealand. It should not be just those who can afford to pay the top dollar in the big flash outfits but everybody in New Zealand should be able to have good quality care for their mum or their dad or their grandparents. It is great to see that we're seeing that investment there and I look forward to seeing all of those residents in the future of Wainuiōmata being able to benefit from this legislation—from being able to see a return and a rates rebate if they invest and have a licence to occupy in that development that's going ahead. I must say that one of the most frequently asked questions when you visit a retirement village or a rest home is a question around rates rebate. It's a top question and all those residents who know that in the past they've been entitled to receive a rebate but have not done so have followed the passage of this legislation very closely. So I would like to just pause and thank those groups that have advocated on behalf of elderly across New Zealand. I know that Grey Power do a fantastic job in representing their members to make sure they get a fair deal and are well represented in what opportunities are available and this legislation is a good example of where Grey Power have done exactly that. The Retirement Village Residents Association have also shown strong support for this bill because they know that their members will benefit from it and it's a real pleasure to see that coming to fruition now with the third reading of this bill. While this legislation is seeing a rebate of only about a $610 a year—and that's important—it shows how important the issue of affordable housing is in New Zealand right now and that affects particularly those on low and fixed incomes such as superannuitants. It is so important that we consider how housing is made affordable across the spectrum particularly in the face of a housing crisis. There are many elderly who are currently living in homes that are too large for them and that are hard to maintain because there is a fear or an inability to be able to afford to move into retirement villages. So while this makes a small change it will be good to see long term where all those who are retiring are able to downsize at an affordable rate. What that also does—what that also does—is it makes those bigger four-bedroom homes with the big backyard available on the market for families. Those bigger homes that are close to schools and are able to be fully utilised by families who want to have more space for children or for pets and who are happy to mow a big lawn and maintain a house—those benefits are seen. So the more that we can make care affordable for elderly people the more we also enable the freeing up of bigger homes for families in New Zealand to be able to have access to and to increase the supply of houses in the housing market currently. It's important also to acknowledge that this bill has been through a process and we have seen changes and it is good to see that the National Party is now supporting this bill. It's good to see that there is agreement across the House with the fact that this is simply something that needs to happen in order to move with the times. We've seen that there's been a big shift in the way that people live their lives once they've retired and this bill enables that to happen. Despite being obliged to pay for rates through retirement villages residents living there with a licence to occupy have not been eligible and that seems to be unfair. It is so pleasing to see a bill that makes that accessible across the spectrum and that's what Labour represents—making sure all those are treated fairly. I would like to say thank you to the Hon Ruth Dyson and thank you to all those on the select committee for reporting back. I would commend this bill to the House.