Harawira Hone: Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Bill — First Reading 
Harawira Hone: Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:644;Page:13891] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tena tatou katoa e te Whare. The link between decent housing and good health is well established. Indeed for centuries the saying “A man’s home is his castle” has represented the concept of a man’s home reflecting his identity and character. Even in te Ao Maori we say something similar: He matua pou whare e rokohia ana; he matua tangata e kore e rokohia—the main ridge pole of a house will always stand but not so a person.  
For far too many citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand and in particular for more and more Maori and Pasifika the problems of housing affordability are rapidly eroding these longstanding values. This bill seeks to remedy these problems by providing councils with the tools to address housing and rental affordability. But for many of our whanau the low level of incomes and the fact that many Maori whanau have young children and larger families poses real challenges for suitable housing options.  
On top of that developers are building larger and more expensive homes the starter-home market is shrinking a property price boom has seen the rate of homeownership plummet in recent years and today hardly any low to medium income whanau can even consider buying a home.  
I will share with the House some staggering statistics on housing affordability and homeownership that show that fewer than 30 percent of Maori own or even partly own their own homes compared with 65 percent of non-Maori. Of those who do own or partly own their own homes only 6.7 percent are Maori. Of those who rent their homes 67 percent are Maori compared with only 44 percent of non-Maori. And with rentals of $275 a week in Auckland and $211 a week in Wellington dramatically eroding the standard of living for far too many of our people even rental affordability is becoming a major issue for the future.  
I would like the House to consider the critical state of available housing options in this country particularly in light of a national forum held at Te Papa Tongawera less than 10 days ago. There we learnt that homelessness is becoming a significant and growing problem for people moving between temporary forms of shelter for people living in boarding houses or other inadequate housing and for people forced to sleep rough in parks streets deserted buildings and so on.  
Dr Guy Johnson from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has analysed the frightening reality of the homeless population. He told us that 75 percent of homeless youths become homeless adults that 30 percent of all homeless people were first homeless in their youth and that there is a growing population of people who have been homeless for much of their life. The effects of this are apparent in a life characterised by a lack of continuity and certainty anxiety about the constant search for where to go next; the disruption to education or employment prospects and the increasing likelihood of exposure to violence discrimination and exploitation. As a consequence of such a lifestyle physical and mental health decline and the impacts of isolation and alienation are profound. In the land of plenty these increasing levels of homelessness are an indictment on our society and a condemnation of this Government’s current housing policies.  
I also refer the Minister to the very valuable resource published last August by the Family Centre social policy research unit and the research centre for Maori health and development at Massey University. The study— 
Maori Housing Experiences: Emerging Trends and Issues 
 by Charles Waldegrave Peter King Tangihaere Walker and Eljon Fitzgerald—confirms the fall in Maori homeownership rates and catalogues the issues of overcrowding inadequate heating and substandard housing as critical factors in any discussion on the status of Maori health.  
We know that the economic conditions we have regularly profiled in this House have also had a massive and adverse effect on the ability of whanau to afford adequate housing. We note that this bill enables but does not require councils to assess the level of affordable housing in their districts. Given the dire circumstances surrounding Maori housing and the access to appropriate housing in Aotearoa we are keen to know why such an assessment is not a core part of the business of local bodies.  
The Maori Party commends those councils for pushing for legislation to help resolve the desperate housing crisis we are in and encourages local bodies—particularly those in and around Auckland and other high-growth areas—to respond positively to the lack of affordable housing in their regions. The Maori Party urges the Minister of Housing and her ministry to consider the vital need for policies that will help to house the homeless and prevent homelessness. The Maori Party urges the Minister to ensure that Maori will be involved in further developing Maori housing policy—particularly around design and location and the conditions pertaining to Maori whanau.  
This bill is worth supporting if it will genuinely promote the provision of affordable housing to low and moderate income earners. We will support it as part of our efforts to work with councils and any other agencies to develop affordable housing policies that can be taken up throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker.