Macindoe Tim: Unit Titles Bill — Second Reading 
Macindoe Tim: Unit Titles Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:660;Page:8938] 
TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) 
: 
 I am pleased to take a short call on the second reading of the Unit Titles Bill. It is good some might even say providential to follow the self-proclaimed model of modesty who is the previous Minister for Building and Construction. I am pleased to acknowledge that this bill as he and other speakers have mentioned has attracted widespread support throughout the industry. It is important. Many are affected. 
In the middle of last year when the members of the Social Services Committee were working on this bill and hearing the submitters both here in Wellington and up in Auckland there were an estimated 17908 unit title developments in New Zealand comprising 119287 units. What is very very clear is that high-density living is becoming more popular here as it is around the world. That trend will continue. Indeed it is expected that in Auckland alone 500000 people will be living in multi-unit developments within the next 50 years. 
I was intrigued a little earlier to hear Moana Mackey begin her speech by taunting this Government that it is passing yet another Labour bill 15 months after the change of Government. [ 
Interruption 
] As my good colleague Mrs Adams has just pointed out Labour had 9 years in which to do so and I am astonished therefore that Ms Mackey wants to draw attention yet again to that fact. I have said it before and I will say it again: I am absolutely gobsmacked at how comprehensively the previous Government lost control of its own legislative agenda. Thank goodness there was a change of Government because otherwise the poor owners of the unit title developments would still be waiting for this bill in another 20 years’ time. Nevertheless I do not want to be too controversial because there is a wide degree of unanimity here tonight and that is a good thing. The Unit Titles Bill is an important bill that modernises a very big area of law. I too acknowledge Ministers past and present and the select committee members for their work on this bill. 
The purpose of the bill is to provide a legal framework for the ownership and management of multi-unit developments by communities of individual owners and in particular to allow for the subdivision of land into units that can be individually and separately owned and common property that is commonly owned; to create bodies corporate that comprise all unit owners and are responsible for operating and managing unit title developments; to establish a flexible and responsive regime for the governance of unit title developments; and to protect the integrity of the development as a whole. 
We heard and we have heard again tonight that a large number of problems exist that make this a very important measure. These include issues with joint decision-making building maintenance financial management governance of developments information disclosure consumer protection dispute resolution and so forth. They are all addressed in this bill. We have made very good progress. I am delighted that the House is of a mind to push it ahead. We need to get on with it. I commend the bill to the House.