Twyford Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Twyford Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 13 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8474. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
12. 
PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatu) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: What specific actions if any does Auckland Council need to take to avoid Government intervention given his reported statement that “the Government would use the reformed RMA to intervene in Auckland” if Auckland Council doesn’t change its planning practices? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 The Government is already intervening in the council’s planning process with the Resource Management Reform Bill. This bill is currently before Parliament and provides for a board of inquiry to consider the Auckland Unitary Plan with limited appeal rights. 
Phil Twyford 
: I seek leave to table a letter from the Hon David Carter to His Worship the Mayor Len Brown setting out the Government’s support for key elements of the Auckland Plan. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that letter. Is there any objection? There appears to be none. 








Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Phil Twyford 
: There appears to be none. Thank you—it is an excellent letter Mr Speaker. I seek leave of the House to table a letter of reply from the office of the Mayor of Auckland Len Brown to the Hon David Carter. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table the response to that letter. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled. 








Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Phil Twyford 
: Why is he now blaming Auckland Council for the housing crisis when only 4 months ago his Government said that the Auckland Plan is “broadly consistent” with the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on housing affordability and that “The Government recognises the need to continue working with Auckland Council to support the implementation of the Auckland Plan.”? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The people I principally hold responsible for the huge challenge we have of housing affordability in Auckland are those who set the policy a decade ago around the metropolitan urban limit which did not work and secondly the last Government which endorsed that plan and saw house prices double section prices double and interest rates go up in almost every year it was in Government. 
Phil Twyford 
: I seek leave to table the Government’s response to the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on housing affordability where it confirms that the Auckland Plan is consistent with the— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There appears to be none. It can be tabled. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Phil Twyford 
: What reports has he received that show that if the Auckland Unitary Plan takes effect in September as Auckland Council has requested new greenfield land would be available by 2015—2 years after he stated in the House yesterday—and that under his scenario changes to the Resource Management Act new land would not be available until 2017; and will he correct the statement he made in the House yesterday? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The statement I made in the House yesterday was absolutely correct and it is this: if the unitary plan takes effect in September then it would still require the formal notification of new subdivisions. I will seek the leave of the House immediately to table the legal advice from Roger Blakeley the head of the planning department at Auckland Council to share that advice that is consistent with yesterday’s answer.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: So is leave being sought? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I seek leave of the House to table an email from Roger Blakeley the manager of the Auckland Council’s planning department setting out the process— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave— 
Hon Annette King 
: To whom? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: To my office. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that email. Is there any objection? There appears to be none. It can be tabled. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Phil Twyford 
: I seek leave of the House to table advice from Roger Blakeley the chief planning officer of Auckland Council that shows conclusively— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Whom is the advice to? 
Phil Twyford 
: It is advice from Auckland Council. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is Blakeley’s advice to the Auckland Council which you have a copy of? 
Phil Twyford 
: I have a copy of it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that advice from Blakeley to the— 
Phil Twyford 
: Mr Speaker can I just say what is in it? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No that is all that is— 
Phil Twyford 
: It makes no sense Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The House can make a decision on whether it wants that information tabled. It is a legal opinion from Roger Blakeley to the Auckland Council— 
David Shearer 
: What about? Transport housing hospitals— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No on housing affordability we are assuming. 
Phil Twyford 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will give the member a minute to explain it further. 
Phil Twyford 
: I would argue that it makes no sense to ask the leave of the House— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No I am giving the member the opportunity to further explain it. 
Phil Twyford 
: OK. I seek the leave of the House to table advice from Roger Blakeley of Auckland Council that shows conclusively that the scenario that Mr Smith has proposed would take 2 years longer to bring in new greenfield land than what is being proposed by the Auckland Council. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: OK. Leave is now sought. Is there any objection? There is. 
Alfred Ngaro 
: Is the Minister concerned that even with the council having only half the greenfield residential land that its own development strategy requires this development strategy relies on a massive building programme for high-density housing? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Yes I am. The council’s plan requires the building of 4000 new apartments and compact townhouses per year for the next decade and 10000 per year for the two decades thereafter. We should be reminded that last year 1000 houses of that same category were built. The metropolitan urban limit was set a decade ago on the assumption of massive intensification that did not occur. We should not repeat that mistake again. 
Phil Twyford 
: Does he support the views of Federated Farmers Chief Executive Officer Conor English who says that Auckland needs to stop sprawling across the countryside “gobbling up productive land” as well as to deliver more investment in public transport more affordable housing and more intensification which sounds very much like Len Brown’s plan for a compact city? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: No I do not agree. Let me tell you why. In the Urban Technical Advisory Group report it points out that if all of Auckland’s population growth over the next 20 years was on quarter acre sections it would require less than 0.4 percent of New Zealand’s agricultural land. Agricultural production in New Zealand is improving its productivity by between 1.5 and 2 percent per year so over a 20-year period the effect of Auckland growing in that way will have negligible impact on New Zealand’s productivity. 
Alfred Ngaro 
: Can the Minister specifically state how many greenfield sections are available at each stage of development in Auckland and how does this compare with what is required? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The report I have released today shows that 1900 sections are ready to be built on now. That compares with previous claims of over 15000. The report also shows that in terms of land ready to be subdivided there are 14500 sections when the council’s own development strategy requires 32000. In the category of land in the pipeline for subdivision there are 54000 sections when the council’s development strategy requires 103000 in that category. What the report shows is that we have less than half the land available than even the council’s own strategy requires and it reinforces the view that more land is needed for residential development. 
Phil Twyford 
: Is he satisfied that the approach he took with ACC and local government—shonky numbers and blaming other people—is a constructive approach for— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Phil Twyford 
: —dealing with the housing crisis? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is the Hon Nick Smith happy to answer it? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I think it is interesting for the member to talk about shonky numbers because the Government’s report shows that 2000 sections are available today to be built on when claims were made by members opposite and by the Auckland Council that that number was 15000. I invite the member opposite to actually read the technical report by the Auckland Council officials and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment released today so that he can be better informed. I seek leave of the House to table the report  
Housing Affordability: Residential Land Available in Auckland 
 published by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment today. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is available on a website? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: No it has just been publicly released today. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is it on the ministry’s website? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I am not sure whether it is on the website yet. I publicly released it today. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It will be on the website.