2. Special Housing Areas—OutcomesJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime MinisterSpecial Housing Areas—Outcomes2. JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's policies?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Finance) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes particularly Budget 2017's $2 billion a year Family Incomes Package which will provide rewards for hard work help lower-income families with young children meet their living costs and improve incomes for people with high housing costs. I would like to thank the Greens again for their positive vision of New Zealand in supporting this Government and voting for that package.James Shaw: Can he confirm that 25 of the special housing areas (SHAs) in Auckland show no signs of building activity?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No I cannot and I suggest that if he wants to ask that question he put it down to the relevant Minister. But I can confirm to the member that earlier this week the building consents figures came out New Zealand was again at the highest level in about 12 or 13 years and Auckland was up to 10500 houses consented. There are also of course many under way that have already been consented.James Shaw: Can he confirm that over 2180 homes that were supposed to be built under the SHA legislation have not been built?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Again no I cannot. I suggest the member puts down a question directly to the portfolio Minister. But I can confirm again for him that the important thing is how many houses are being built in Auckland. I can tell him for example that in just one suburb in Albany in Auckland which I am familiar with there are over 1000 apartments being built at the moment amongst the 10500 houses that are being built annually around Auckland.James Shaw: When will those 2184 homes be built?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well again I cannot confirm that for the member so it is a slightly redundant question. But I can tell him which again I think he will find helpful given his interest in this matter that the Government is through its Housing Infrastructure Fund bringing the ability to build another 60000 houses in places like Auckland Hamilton and Tauranga—there are about 30000 in Auckland. Of course Crown Fibre Holdings is becoming Crown Infrastructure Partners and it has another $600 million which it is going to invest alongside the private sector in particular for large housing projects in the south of Auckland and in the north of Auckland but also in other fast-growing councils around the country.James Shaw: Does he concede that it was a bad idea not to put use it or lose it" clauses into the SHA legislation?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: My understanding from the Minister—and again it probably would have been easier if he had just asked the Minister the question—is that actually they do have those clauses in that particular arrangement. But it is just one of a number that have ensured that we have gone from very low levels of construction in Auckland—in fact I think it was about two and a bit thousand houses a year being built around 2009—to now and if you take into account units and apartments we are up to over 10500. So it is a great story of progress and it is continuing.James Shaw: Given that the requirement to build affordable housing lapses when the SHA status expires does he accept that the Government has set up an incentive to land bank those 25 areas?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No I do not. I would point out to the member that the arrangement come to in each SHA has been in partnership with the local councils in that area. Can I say again that the important thing is how many houses are actually being built and the important thing is housing prices—and housing prices in Auckland as we have had confirmed in the last 48 hours are now flat to falling and the number of houses being built is continuing to rise.James Shaw: Can he confirm that it is a special housing area that is being used to build "New Zealand's premier luxury retirement resort"?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I would need confirmation of that—independent confirmation of that—but I would point out to the member that actually building retirement villages is a good way of freeing up other houses for people to live in. He may not be aware but when somebody moves into a retirement village they often move out of an existing house and that house might get sold to somebody else. That is how the housing market works together to achieve the provision of housing for New Zealanders."