Shanks Katrina: Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill Building (Consent Authorities) Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Shanks Katrina: Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill Building (Consent Authorities) Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
[Volume:641;Page:11299] 
KATRINA SHANKS (National) 
: 
 I rise to speak this afternoon to the third readings of this legislation—the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill and the Building (Consent Authorities) Amendment Bill—again because this is the second time I have been prepared to deliver my third reading speech. This legislation certainly has been very interesting. For someone who is new in the House it has been extremely interesting. The way these bills have been put together is actually quite disgraceful. I will give the House a little bit of the history on how we got to where we are today with this legislation. 
In 2002 we started off with the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act initially brought in to address the incidence of leaky homes. In 2006—only 4 years later—that legislation was then repealed and the Government brought in the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act 2006. From what I understand both those bits of legislation were rushed through the House did not go through the process in a timely manner and were rushed through the submission process. Now 1 year later in 2007 the legislation before us is again being rushed through by the Government without it being drafted properly or having gone through the processes properly. This legislation is to remedy distress and mental anxiety something National had suggested should be addressed back in 2006. Obviously we were ignored because we are here exactly 1 year later discussing the matter yet again. 
But what concerns me most is the process in relation to this legislation—legislation that I have been involved with in the Social Services Committee. The Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill came before the Social Services Committee but we did not get submissions because yet again there was no time for these. The legislation was rushed through the select committee to get it to the stage it is at today. So we went through the first reading the select committee stage the second reading the Committee stage then to the third reading. And whoops! What happened at the third reading stage? It was found that we had got it wrong; that it was not quite right. So instead of going into the third reading the bill was referred back to the Committee of the whole House and this is where it gets really interesting. If we want to talk about writing good legislation then this legislation is not a good example; this is talking about rushing legislation through the House. 
What happened last week when we went back into Committee on the bill? What happened was that Supplementary Order Paper 133 was tabled. What was on that Supplementary Order Paper? It had on it amendments that included extending the time during which a territorial authority may act as a building consent authority. That is very interesting because that actually has nothing to do with leaky homes. So how come this measure got attached to the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill of 2007 as a New Part 3? The measures on Supplementary Order Paper 133 were rushed through without going to the select committee and without going through the submission process. They were rushed through. 
Clause 18 in New Part 3 on Supplementary Order Paper 133 extends the period a territorial authority may act as a building consent authority. Why has this happened? The reason is that once again the Government had got it wrong. It put in the wrong date by which territorial authorities must put the building consent authority process in place so this amendment has been put through on the back of the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill which has to do with distress and anxiety and nothing at all to do with leaky homes. Then what happened? We turned round and what did we find? We found Supplementary Order Paper 134. That is interesting is it not? What does that tell us? That Supplementary Order Paper splits off New Part 3. So the Trojan Horse amendment on Supplementary Order Paper 133 goes through attached to the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill of 2007 then Supplementary Order Paper 134 splits it off. All of a sudden we have two bills one of which has not been to a select committee or through the submission process. It has just been sneaked through to fix yet again an error by this Government in its legislation. What did it create? It created the Building (Consent Authorities) Amendment Bill. That is very interesting is it not? 
Let me talk about that bill. I went back and had a look at what has gone through recently in relation to the building sector. The Building Bill was enacted in 2004 but oh no we had to improve that because once again that was legislation that had been rushed through. Then in 2007 the Building Amendment Bill was introduced to make the 2004 legislation more workable. Now also in 2007 we have the Building (Consent Authorities) Amendment Bill. Why could that not have gone into the Building Amendment Bill that was introduced just this year? 
We have to ask ourselves what sort of legislation we are writing here. I have to say that it is not very good legislation. It is actually disgraceful that we get away with writing this sort of legislation. What does the building industry think of this legislation? It would not know what to think because it is so confusing. It is confusing even for us when Supplementary Order Papers keep appearing and legislation keeps getting repealed and new legislation brought in to improve the workability of previous legislation. Why can the Government not just get it right the first time? What is so hard about writing good legislation? What is so hard about going through a process and having respect for that process? What happened in respect of this Supplementary Order Paper and the Building (Consent Authorities) Amendment Bill was that those pieces of legislation went right outside the process. In fact this has not happened since 1995. Why has it happened all of a sudden? It is a matter of: “Whoops! We’re fixing another mistake in legislation that has let this country down again.” 
Why did we have this legislation to begin with? The reason is leaky homes. That is exactly why the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill came in to begin with. So we have this new legislation to fix something that is going wrong. How do people get leaky homes in New Zealand? They get them because there is moisture in their homes. That is what creates leaky homes. This can be for a number of reasons—for example it can be due to not putting battens between internal/external walls. But let me think; there is one more thing we are talking about here. Leaky homes are still being built under the current Government. How can that be? Shall we talk about copper piping because I am really good on copper piping at the moment. At the moment copper piping from Britain has about a 50-year warranty from Australia it has about a 50 or 60-year warranty and from China? Copper piping from China has no warranty. Cheap copper piping is going into new spec homes and that is being allowed to happen under this Government. We know that copper piping has been tested by the industry. Those tests found that it would last 7 years—and that is it. So under this Government leaky homes are still being built. 
What does this legislation do to help those homeowners? It does absolutely nothing at all. In fact what does the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill do to help those people who have leaky homes right now? It does absolutely nothing. All that people with leaky homes want is to have their homes fixed. It is not actually too hard to work out what we need to do. What is this Government doing to fix the homes of these people? It is doing absolutely nothing. It is a matter of: “I know let’s bring in another bit of legislation. Let’s rush it through. Let’s give them a remedy for distress and anxiety.” Does that fix people’s homes? No it does not. If this Government would just commit to fixing leaky homes these homeowners would not have distress or anxiety; they would have homes that are fixed. But in the last 8 years under this Government these homes have not been fixed. 
What happens when people go to mediation or to a tribunal to get their homes fixed? I will tell members exactly what happens: nothing. They may get rewarded for damages or get their houses fixed but how often are those homeowners actually getting the money that is awarded to them? The answer is that it is not very often at all. So this Government has done nothing. This legislation is doing nothing to stop the leaky home situation or to give people some compensation to get their homes fixed. Currently it is estimated that there are 15000 people out there who have leaky homes. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: When were they built? 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: They are being built right now under that Minister’s Government. They are being built right now in 2007. Shall we talk about copper piping? Under this Government copper piping is being put into spec homes right now. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: Sorry Mr Assistant Speaker. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: They were being built by National in the 1990s with no supervision. 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: The Labour Government is currently building leaky homes and the Minister cannot deny it. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Bollocks! 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: Sorry what was that? 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Rubbish! 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: Before that? 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Bollocks! 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: Ooh and we have many listeners caught in the Auckland traffic tonight going along at 1 kilometre an hour and listening to this Labour Government. And what did it come out with? What was that word again Mr Harry— 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: When did those houses first fall down? Why won’t you tell us? 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: No; and I am telling people that if they are building a home or buying a spec home they should be careful because under this Labour Government they might be getting a leaky home. 
Bob Clarkson 
: It had 8 years! 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: It has had 8 years. How many people have received real compensation from this Government to fix their leaky home? I am not talking about $5000 or $10000 but about real compensation. Some homes need about $90000 to fix them. How many of those people under this Labour Government—[ 
Interruption 
] What is this legislation doing to fix leaky homes in New Zealand? Absolutely nothing will be done under this Government to fix those leaky homes.