Ngaro Alfred: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 02 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19170. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (National):Kia orana Mr Chair. Meitaki. I rise to take a call in this estimates debate in regard to housing. I want to acknowledge my colleague over there Poto Williams who talked about the issues of Christchurch and Canterbury. The lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes are informing our work programme which is also focused on the provision of safe healthy and high-quality homes and buildings. I just want to acknowledge some of the lessons that have been learnt from that as well.I think what is important is that housing policy is one of the greatest challenges of our time. It matters because most of our Kiwi families know that the equity in their home is their greatest asset and that it has become increasingly difficult for families to buy and own their own home. I know that for myself. It was not in fact until my late 30s that my family and I were actually able to buy a home. I know how challenging and how difficult it is and the difficulty of that even in these times. That is one of the reasons that this Government has embarked on a comprehensive package of reforms that will make homes more affordable and reshape New Zealand’s approach to housing as well.I also want to talk about some of the things that we are doing with regard to those reforms. One of the things we have done is the immediate suspension of anti-dumping duties through the Budget night legislation—duties on plasterboard wire nails and reinforced steel bars—for 3 years from 1 July. The zero concessionary tariff is to be reviewed after 5 years and covers around 90 percent of the materials in a new home. It is expected to save $3500 in the construction of a standard home. What I do know is that for me for instance coming from a construction background as an electrician—in fact I could be one of the few tradespeople in Parliament—when constructing homes the cost of construction becomes critically important. One of the things I do know is that when you compare the cost for instance of building in regard to square metreage the costs in New Zealand are around $2200 per square metre in comparison with Australia’s which are around $1300. So if we can reduce those costs we know the difference that that can make; hence the issue of suspending tariffs is quite an important one. We know the savings that that can make is around $3500 in the construction costs of homes.The other thing we have done is put $64.3 million into new operating funding new capital funding for social housing needs and functions for the Ministry of Social Development. So the social housing sector also becomes quite critically important. We know that in areas like Maraenui and Pōmare and also over in Tāmaki even with the struggles they have had they are very important.Meka Whaitiri: Do you know where Maraenui is?ALFRED NGARO: Yes I do know where they are. I know that for instance the Glen Innes housing project started off from going down to Maraenui and seeing what was happening there—the work they had been doing in regard to engaging communities about the issues of housing. So that was really important as well. There are those of us who do engage with communities as well. So what we did learn from that is the importance of engaging in communities—in particular around the social housing sector. We know the importance of the role of the social housing sector; hence the reason we have engaged with it.A great project that has happened in our community—and you might not know about it Ms Whaitiri—is in Māngere. You might not know where it is but it is in Māngere. There is a project called the Matanikolo Housing Project. It is a Tongan project that is partnering with the Tongan community. They have this partnership where they have been able to build 22 homes so now the Tongan community has got this partnership with Lifewise a social housing provider along with the Government. In that partnership there is $4.3 million—Hon Ruth Dyson: How many times have we heard the same old story?ALFRED NGARO: Yes you can go like that but guess what? For all that talk here is a little bit of action that is really happening. And guess what is happening? This Tongan community is saying for the first time that it has got a sense of participation and ownership in dealing with the housing issues for its community. It is a great project making a difference.Meka Whaitiri: It’s too slow.ALFRED NGARO: Well it may be slow where you come from but I tell you what: where we come from over there in Māngere they are absolutely celebrating it. They are asking when the next project is. They are asking this Government when the next project is so that we can partnership together. They have the land and they need some opportunities. So our partnership with the social housing providers is absolutely making a difference. See that is the difference between this Government and that potential Government over there.