3. Housing—Supply and AffordabilityANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Minister of FinanceHousing—Supply and Affordability3. ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that the prices you pay for a house are ridiculous" given New Zealand house prices have risen by over 50 percent since he made that statement?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): Yes and the main change that has occurred since that statement was made is the Auckland Unitary Plan which because of this Government's legislation was passed in 3 years instead of 10 which now legally allows sufficient new supply of housing and over the next 10 years along with the major Government building programme will have an influence on house prices.Andrew Little: Is there a housing crisis—yes or no?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No. New Zealand will be building tens of thousands of houses over the next few years. Because of the changes the Government has made and will make to the regulation of housing markets and planning and the Government's own building programme we will see considerable further growth in the supply of houses and a moderation of the housing cycle.Andrew Little: Does he stand by his statement that "The most unfair aspect of it is that there's no housing being built for people in the lowest quartile of income. Like none. That is clearly unsustainable."?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes and at the time that was absolutely correct because the old Auckland plan and city plans which used to be all supported by the Labour Party had the result that no lower-cost housing was being built in areas like the North Shore. That is now changing—for instance through the 1000th house development that has been begun by Housing New Zealand in Northcote where a thousand medium-density medium-value houses will be produced.Jami-Lee Ross: What steps is the Government taking as part of its—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I detect an air of anticipation and excitement but I still need to get through question time with me being able to hear the questions being asked.Jami-Lee Ross: What steps is the Government taking as part of its comprehensive plan to deliver more houses and more affordable housing?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Because the phenomenon of housing is so complex it takes a large number of initiatives to push the housing market in the right direction ranging from the $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund to the special housing areas the expanded HomeStart scheme for first-home buyers the national policy statement on urban development the macro-prudential tools for the Reserve Bank the fast-tracking of the Auckland Unitary Plan and the large-scale building programme that the Government is setting out on.Andrew Little: Does he accept that it was a mistake for him to rip over half a billion dollars in profits out of Housing New Zealand while kids were getting sick and dying in cold mouldy State houses?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No and in respect of the action the Government has taken the Government has taken intensive and expensive action to reduce exactly the situation the member describes. The project for the reduction of rheumatoid arthritis has been all about finding the kids who come from those houses and either changing the houses or shifting them to a warm dry house. The Government committed $60 million to $80 million to that and the programme has been quite successful but has some way to go.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If it can be proven—as it can be—that none of his commitments and promises on housing have been kept will he promise not to stand for the leadership come Monday?Hon BILL ENGLISH: As I have laid out—the member may not have paid much attention—there has been a raft of measures taken on changing the housing market. We are dealing with the legacy of 30 years of wrong-headed planning which was designed to stop Auckland growing. Under this Government the economy is growing Auckland is growing and we need to change all the housing rules to accommodate all the people who want to live here.Andrew Little: Does his management of the housing crisis have the confidence of his fellow Minister Judith Collins or does he not want her support given he thinks she has "an unfortunately high estimation of her own competence"?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If we have had as the Minister says 30 years of planning failure which Government was it that brought in the present legislation on the Resource Management Act (RMA)?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member would know the answer to that question because he was here right from the genesis of the RMA under Sir Geoffrey Palmer I think and has almost certainly voted for more RMA amendments than anyone else in the House. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I just need a little less interjection from both sides.Andrew Little: Does he have confidence in Paula Bennett as a Minister given that she misled the Prime Minister about non-existent Ministry of Social Development flying squads and launched a policy to move people out of Auckland without asking the Minister of Finance first?Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no ministerial responsibility for that as the Minister of Finance.Andrew Little: Does he stand by his statement that "I wouldn't want to go for the leadership of the National Party again."Mr SPEAKER: It is questionable whether there is ministerial responsibility. I will allow the Minister the Hon Bill English—Hon BILL ENGLISH: What is that?Mr SPEAKER: I am saying it is questionable whether there is ministerial responsibility but I will allow the Minister—[Interruption] Order!Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes of course but I now find myself in the rather unexpected position where the most successful Prime Minister in my lifetime has decided to leave at the top."