3. Question No. 3—HousingJAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister of HousingQuestion No. 3—Housing3. JAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister of Housing: Is she satisfied with the Government's progress on accessible public housing?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing): Yes. As already outlined the Government is committed to ensuring that at least 15 percent of Kāinga Ora new-build public homes will include universal design features. We're the first Government in New Zealand's history to have a target for accessible public homes and we're delivering building more homes that include full universal design features than ever before. The Government intends to deliver at least 1000 fully universally designed homes by the end of the public housing plan around half of which will be completed by the end of this financial year with the remaining homes being delivered the following year. We're making good progress and will continue working towards Labour's target of 25 percent of new builds with universal design features to ensure that our public housing portfolio meets the needs of disabled people in New Zealand.Jan Logie: What feedback if any has she received about disabled people's satisfaction with accessible housing targets and progress towards them?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The feedback that I have received in my capacity as the Minister of Housing and Urban Development is that they're pleased that there finally is a Government that has a strategy in place that has targets and is actually delivering homes that are meeting full universal design features.Jan Logie: Is it true that Kāinga Ora's full universal design standard allows for homes to be built without step-free entrances?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: That is not my understanding. I think it is important to understand the proportion of new builds that are going through in terms of the universal design feature. There are a number of homes that we do not include in the 15 percent target that meet some of the elements of universal design but cannot be deemed meeting full universal design features nor does it include the retrofits of existing properties. So I'd have to look at the details of the particular property that the member is talking about.Jan Logie: Is it true most international standards relating to universal design including the New Zealand Lifemark standard require at least one step-free entrance into the home now and not in the future which is what is in the full universal design standard of Kāinga Ora?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I repeat to the member: the 15 percent target is meeting the full New Zealand universal design feature. As I said there are properties that do not meet that threshold and are not included in that figure.Jan Logie: Does she agree that it is unacceptable to deprioritise disabled people's needs and rights in order to save Government money and if so will she ensure Kāinga Ora does not remove accessibility improvements from their retrofit programme?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: In answer to the first part of the question yes of course I believe that it is important that we're providing housing for disabled peoples. That is why we are the first Government in New Zealand's history to have a strategy and a delivery of homes that meet the needs of our disabled peoples.Jan Logie: Will she ensure Kāinga Ora does not remove accessibility improvements from their retrofit programme?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The accessibility improvements in our retrofit programme will continue. Whether or not that meets universal design standards is something that we need to continue to consider because of course the cost of doing a retrofit is much higher than actually building it into new builds. One of the challenges that we face is that for a 10-year period between 2007 and 2017 there was not a renewal programme for the 45000 Kāinga Ora—then Housing New Zealand—houses that needed renewal. We're on a much steeper slope of having to do those renewal costs and I would point out to the member that the maintenance cost of a new home is $4000 a year for Kāinga Ora as opposed to $12000 for one that has not gone through the renewal process. This is costing Kāinga Ora about $70 million a year across our whole portfolio. So not only are we paying for the damage done in not building new houses or selling houses but not renewing the stock we had; it's costing more in operating funding.