Smith NickHOUSING LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Building and Housing): I move That the Housing Legislation Amendment Bill be now read a second time. This bill is a litmus test as to whether people want houses to be over people's heads or whether people just want to play politics and play rhetoric. The frank choice for this Parliament is that this bill will get more houses built. What I find so extraordinary from members opposite is that they set up inquiries and they demand that the Government takes a state of emergency on housing and puts the whole country into some civil defence crisis but they are not prepared to come down to this Parliament and support a practical bill that will actually get houses built. But I am not surprised—I am not surprised.I will tell you why I am not surprised. Every single time that legislation that will actually get houses built has been before this Parliament members opposite have voted against it. What happened to the HomeStart scheme? They opposed it. What happened to the fast-tracked unitary plan? They opposed it. What happened in terms of Resource Management Act reform? They opposed it. What happened in terms of the legislation to provide for special housing areas? They opposed it. And now I ask members opposite—and let us talk real facts—how many houses were being built when this Government came to office? The number had dropped to a low of just 12000 homes across this country. That is the lowest level—the lowest level—of houses that were ever built in my lifetime. The lowest number ever was what this Government inherited. Well let us look at how much housing has grown because I will be frank I am proud of my record. This is a graph of the number of houses built in every year back to 1922. In my first year as housing Minister the number grew by 21 percent. In my second year as housing Minister the number grew by 23 percent. In my third year as housing Minister the number grew by another 20 percent and the latest figures show growth of 29 percent. Here is my challenge: tell me during which Minister's watch there has been faster growth in the number—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! I just want to ask Mr Faafoi not to bring the Speaker into the debate especially in a disreputable way.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I have got a simple question Mr Faafoi: name me a Minister under whom there has been stronger growth in the number of houses being built than over the last 4 years.Carmel Sepuloni: Over the last 4 years?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Over any 4 year period—tell me a period when you have had 4 years of more than 20 percent compound growth in the house-build rate. Tell me any name in any period when there has been faster house growth than in the last 4 years. They are silent because they know there has been phenomenal growth in the number of houses being built over the 4 years. In fact the truth is that there has been a faster increase in the rate of house building over the last 4 years than in any period going back to 1922. There have been 29000 homes built in the last year and that rate continues to grow. Then I have the contribution from the member: Well Housing New Zealand should get on and build some houses." Well here are the facts guys: in the last year 1100 homes have been completed by Housing New Zealand—1100 finished; that is not consented but finished. What was the maximum number of houses that were built during Helen Clark's years? I thought they were the people who loved State housing. Actually they got less than half that number. The very best number that Labour achieved in a year was 640 homes. Hang on a moment—this Government has built more State houses in the last year than any Government in 25 years. So I ask members opposite why they will not support bills that will get houses built. If they are genuine about wanting to get people out of cars and into houses why will they not support bills before this House that will actually get houses built?Let us be practical. I want to draw your attention to a very specific press release from Sir Noel Robinson—a very credible gentleman. He wants to build 500 houses in Papakura. Well anybody in this House would know that that is an area where there is very high housing need. Those 500 homes will not be built—will not be built—according to his press release without this bill. Five hundred homes quite specifically will not be built without this bill. Sir Noel Robinson has spent $2 million on developing his site in Bellfield Road in Papakura. He is committed to building affordable houses and so I ask members on the opposite side of the House whether they want Sir Noel Robinson to build those 500 houses or not. In voting against this bill at the first reading they are showing themselves to be part of the problem not part of the solution. I want to come quite specifically to the issues around the Housing Act because Governments since 1955 have been doing housing developments under that Act. When those houses have been built Governments of both National and Labour—and even New Zealand First—persuasions have sold those constructed houses to New Zealanders. There is some doubt—there is a question mark that has been raised—as to whether houses that have been developed by Housing New Zealand or developed in Weymouth or built in Hobsonville have to be offered back to the previous owner. That would be totally contrary to what every Government has done since 1955 and I will tell you why it matters. Right now I am in the private market to secure partners—partners with Māori partners with building companies—to build thousands of houses on Crown land in places like Manukau places right through Auckland. Would a private sector partner invest hundreds of millions of dollars if there is a question mark as to whether they can sell those houses that are completed? That is why I say to members opposite that if they are serious—serious—about addressing New Zealand's housing issues and enabling us to build houses on that Crown land they should support this bill. I ask members opposite where they are going to build those KiwiBuild houses they promise. Where? They have said that it will be on Crown land. If they oppose this bill they are effectively saying that they would need to offer those blocks of land back to their previous owners and not be able to develop houses on them. In other words they could not build the very houses that they promise that they will be able to deliver. So I say again to this Parliament: stop the politicking; support the policies that will actually get houses built for Kiwi families. There is only one answer to homelessness and that is to build more houses. Parties that want houses built will back this bill."