Ngaro Alfred: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 05 June 2013. Volume:690;Page:10725. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.ALFRED NGARO (National) to theMinister of Housing: What progress has the Government made in implementing the recommendations fromHome and Housed: A Vision for Social Housing in New Zealand?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Housing): The major recommendations of the report which included the Salvation Army the Auckland City Mission and the Housing Foundation were that New Zealand needed to develop a broader social housing sector. Its 19 recommendations included growing the community socialhousing sector to 20 percent transferring the housing needs assessment from Housing New Zealand to the Ministry of Social Development enabling access to the income-related rent subsidy for community housing providers and introducing new tenancy agreements focused on providing support to those with the highest need for the duration of that need. Good progress is being made on all those recommendations with funding changes in Budget 2013 and the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill now before the Social Services Committee.Alfred Ngaro: How much new funding is the Government putting into implementing the changes recommended in theHome and Housed: A Vision for Social HousingNew Zealand report?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The Government has set aside $139 million for the Social Housing Fund. It has already committed $60 million enabling 422 additional housing units to be built in Northland Auckland Waikato the Bay of Plenty Hawke’s Bay Gisborne Wellington Nelson Christchurch and Otago. It has budgeted $31 million for the transfer of the housing needs assessment to the Ministry of Social Development and for extending income-related rent subsidies to community housing providers. A further $47 million has been budgeted for renewable tenancies to fund the increase in income-related rent subsidies as families of higher need move into social housing.Alfred Ngaro: What changes is Housing New Zealand making to the management of its housing stock in response to theHome and Housed: A Vision for Social Housing in New Zealand report?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The report expressed real concern that historically Housing New Zealand has been excessively focused on just the number of State houses rather than ensuring that they are in the right place that they are of the right size and that they are of good quality. In response Housing New Zealand has embarked on a major programme of reconfiguring its housing stock with a record investment of $2.9 billion over the next 3 years. This involves insulating every State house capable of being insulated—an initiative taken by my predecessor Phil Heatley—spending $377 million on adding 3000 additional bedrooms to existing houses and building 500 new infill houses in Auckland as well as the massive programme of rebuilds and replacement in Christchurch. There is also a housing warrant of fitness that is going to be introduced for Housing New Zealand properties—Hon Annette King: Being considered.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: —no it is going to be introduced—to make sure that we actually focus on the quality of them unlike the Labour Party which has a disgraceful record in terms of the quality of our State housing.