Fox Marama: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is subject to correctionFox Marama: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 29 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2977. Text is subject to correction.]12.MARAMA FOX (Co-LeaderMāori Party)to the Minister for Building and Housing: Does he support the Māori Party’s call for guaranteed healthy homes through the introduction of a Warrant of Fitness for all rental properties; if not why not?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Building and Housing):The Government is open-minded about regulatory changes to ensure a better quality of rental property in New Zealand and is keen to work with the Māori Party on reform that is practical and that fully understands the implications for both supply and affordability. It needs to be sophisticated. For instance if you have a blunt instrument that simply says that every home that has to be rented has to be insulated I am advised that there would be about 100000 homes where practically you cannot get under the floor or into the ceiling to insulate them and to take 100000 homes out of the rental market would have an enormous impact on supply as well as affordability. Equally so I have seen some proposals where for instance they want to regulate the amount of hot water coming out of a shower. Well we are not keen on those sorts of—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The answer is too long.Marama Fox: Will the Minister work with the Māori Party to create safeguards for tenants who fear eviction if they complain to authorities about the state of the substandard properties they rent; if not why not?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I am keen to work with the Māori Party. The issue is actually around enforcement. The current tenancy Act makes it an offence for a landlord to take action against a tenant who has raised a concern about for instance whether the property meets the fit and proper standard of being tenantable now. The situation has been particularly acute in Christchurch following the loss of 12000 homes and so we need to look to—Denis O’Rourke: So what are you doing about it?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Well for a start we have built 11000 houses to date. The rents have now stabilised in Christchurch and so there is the opportunity—Dr Megan Woods: You have have you? Where are they? Where are the ones you’ve built?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Well the local member who is screaming has actually objected—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The Minister will resume his seat. The general debate will take place shortly.Marama Fox: Will the Minister work to establish a platform for tenant feedback to identify and rate both good landlord practice and poor “slumlord” practice; if not why not?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: We are open to good ideas but we want to make sure that things are practical that they are workable and that they are actually going to make a difference. That is why for instance our Government has insulated over 200000 homes. That is making a practical difference. We have gone to a particular extent around ensuring that every State house that can be insulated is insulated and if there are other good ideas that the Māori Party has we are happy to work with it to ensure we improve the standard.