O'Rourke Denis: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
O'Rourke Denis: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3230. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
12. 
DENIS O’ROURKE (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery 
: Does he still believe that the best way to deal with the price increase in home rentals in Christchurch is to leave it to the market? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery) 
: 
 Yes but with the qualification that the Government has provided temporary housing villages—soon that will be 75 residences—and financial assistance to earthquake-affected households costing $330000 per week in rental subsidies alongside accommodation supplements which have always been available. And we continue to pressure the Housing New Zealand Corporation to put more properties back into commission. We have ensured that the Earthquake Commission has paid $21 million towards the repair of council social housing. My colleague the Minister of Housing announced a $2 million grant towards 25 social houses to be built in Christchurch. He made that announcement yesterday. We have also taken moves to increase the supply of sections by inserting new chapter 12A in the regional policy statement. So this Government although we believe in the market has also taken active steps to ensure that there is a market. 
Denis O’Rourke 
: What is the Minister’s response to the mother of two who was recently reported in the  
Press 
 as stating that she has had to leave Christchurch because “the wages were so low the rents getting so high and the ongoing hassles with insurance EQC and Cera were so awful.”? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Well my first point would be that if that person has got a hassle with the Earthquake Commission and insurance then it is surprising that she is renting. However what I would say is that the rental prices charged in Christchurch are not disproportionate to other metropolitan centres. I would actually point the member to the same newspaper the Christchurch  
Press 
 today which reports “Landlords stunned at low response” to properties. The advice that is given to property managers there is that if they are finding they have properties with long waits before someone rents them they will have to lower those rents. That is the market working. I would also indicate to the member that today TradeMe shows that there are 245 houses available for less than $300 a week. 
Denis O’Rourke 
: Is the Minister aware that home rentals in Christchurch have increased over the last year by up to $60 per week in some suburbs and by an average of $32 per week over the whole city according to the  
Press 
; if so what assurance will he give to Christchurch tenants about future additional rent increases in the short term resulting from departures of homeowners from red zone properties and demand from the influx of workers for the rebuild? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: The first point I would make is that the Christchurch  
Press 
 is a very inaccurate source of information on these matters. He may rely on its information; I do not. What I do know is that there is a number of people in Christchurch—landlords in fact—who are saying that they cannot rent properties because people do not want to take them and there are currently a total of 1032 properties for rent in Christchurch.