1. Question No. 1—HousingRICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister of HousingORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Housing1. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister of Housing: Does she agree with the Prime Minister that the Government is pulling every lever we have available to us" on housing; if so will she extend the Income Related Rent subsidy to people who live in council housing?Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)) on behalf of the Minister of Housing: On behalf of the Minister in response to the first part of the question yes. We are building more public houses than any Government in decades with today marking our 8000th public housing place delivered. We have more building consents issued than at any other time in our history. We've closed tax loopholes. We've banned foreign buyers. We've extended the brightline test. We've introduced progressive homeownership and many other programmes that are making a difference. In response to the second part of the question I've been clear that more work is required to understand the financial challenges that some councils are facing in maintaining provision of their existing housing stock. Options to address any challenges—for example diverting income-related rent subsidy funding to councils—would mean reducing our public housing build programme. I'm also keen to understand what more councils could do to support their own housing stock because as we all know the Government cannot solve the housing crisis alone and we want to continue to see councils play a role as they have done for generations.Ricardo Menéndez March: Can she confirm that it would cost only $25 million a year to support Wellington City Council to continue to provide affordable homes for up to 4000 people including children and elderly people?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: What I can confirm is that Wellington City Council and the Government do have a deed of grant and we need to ensure that the work continues—the relationship continues with that. I am confident that we can work with Wellington City Council in terms of some of the concerns that they have expressed. I'm also confident that as a Government our role is to work with councils but it is also more imperative we do everything we can to ensure that we build more public housing spaces.Ricardo Menéndez March: What is the logic of giving people in Kāinga Ora homes and private community housing providers support through the income-related rent subsidy but not people living in council housing?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has done some research and found that despite variation in rents charged between council public housing and the like the difference is generally moderate. But there is more that we can do and we are open to having that conversation.Ricardo Menéndez March: What's her answer to Wellington city councillor Rebecca Matthews who asks "Why should we have to change the ownership structure for our tenants to qualify for income-related rent subsidies? Wellington held on to city housing when Governments were selling off State housing."?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: On behalf of the Minister I'm really clear that council has a role to provide housing. Generally speaking the housing that they provide is of the type that is generally low cost. We are really keen to ensure that we work along with the Wellington City Council to address some of the issues that they have but we are also clear that as a Government we have an imperative to build more houses.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does she agree with Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins that the income-related rent subsidy would give councils "A greater degree of capacity to be able to build more units and create additional supply for people who desperately need it and we have waiting lists in the hundreds that do."?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: What I can confirm is that the Government does support many council tenants through the accommodation supplement.Ricardo Menéndez March: Has the member for Wellington Central raised any concerns with her regarding reports that Wellington City Council may have to sell its 2000 affordable public homes if the Government doesn't help?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: As I have already said the Government's imperative is to build more public housing spaces. The member for Wellington Central has many conversations with me."