Paraone Pita: Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Paraone Pita: Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:649;Page:18460] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. I stand on behalf of New Zealand First to say that we will support this bill. I start by saying that New Zealand First has always been of the mind that all New Zealanders should have access to affordable homes. Owning one’s home has always been part of the Kiwi dream and we would like that to remain so. Unfortunately the dream has become a nightmare for many people who have come to realise that access to affordable housing which earlier generations of New Zealanders enjoyed is no longer available to them. The fact that we here in New Zealand are at the end of the global economic food chain so to speak has seen the downturn in other economies impact on our own. The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research recently reported in its last quarterly prediction that gross domestic product was likely to decline for three consecutive quarters. It went on to say that inflation is still a problem and would therefore impact on a return to robust economic health. Having said that I believe it is still the Government’s responsibility irrespective of who might be occupying the Treasury benches to ensure that this country’s citizens are suitably housed and that incentives are provided to do this. 
We in New Zealand First believe that this bill will provide that incentive which I regard as being a beginning. House prices have left a large number of people on modest incomes unable to compete in the current housing market. The bill is intended to help provide additional supply-side tools for local government in order to complement the housing supply-and-demand measures that central government already provides. As the Minister who opened the debate this evening said costs vary amongst the territorial authorities around the country and therefore the cost of housing will also vary. 
I heard reference made to Queenstown and the belief that this bill will not solve the problem that Queenstown is possibly facing. However the responsibility does fall on that local authority to ensure that in order to maintain its position as one of the leading tourist centres in the country it must look after its service workers. If it wants to attract service workers to the region and wants them to stay there to be able to cater for the demands that tourism brings to the area then it will certainly have to have a plan that will provide affordable housing for those people. 
New Zealand First recognises that this bill is a stand-alone bill that dovetails with other legislation. The bill’s purpose is to enable territorial authorities in consultation with their communities to require developers to facilitate the provision of affordable housing. We have heard comments this evening that developers are opposing the notion of this bill. I say that given the economic climate at the moment I have heard of developers actually approaching the Government to see whether the Government will purchase sections from them to provide State housing. I think that that is the consequence of being at the end of the economic food chain which I alluded to earlier. 
I do not want to take too much time other than to say that this bill is just one of the many tools that will be available to provide affordable housing to our citizens and I reiterate our support for this bill. Kia ora.