Henare PeeniHon PEENI HENARE (Minister of Civil Defence): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Thank you for this opportunity. It's interesting because while they claim it to be their bill it's far better with this Government. I can tell you their version was like an iPhone 1; ours is more of an iPhone X. It's far better in so far as their ability to actually make significant change in this space was rather poor.It was quite clear one need only look at the meth standards testing that was put in place by the last Government. In fact I recall sitting on the select committee and listening to the submissions. The voice that was missing when it came to the standards set for meth testing was actually the tenants the residents—those who actually live in the houses those who are affected by living in the houses those who as we noticed under the last regime were evicted only to find out that actually that eviction was wrong. It was based on rather poor standards. What we saw was 21 organisations with a vested interest in setting the standards for meth testing. That's what came through. That's why I argue on this side of the House that our version of this bill is far greater. It brings better balance to the tenancy laws in this country. It actually means that tenants find their voice.The Minister spoke too about the need for a broader look at what contaminants look like and this legislation covers some of that. Meth is of course one of those issues. What we do know too is for example in my electorate we've dealt with constituents in the past who bring the issue of synthetic cannabis into my office. Now one of the challenges with that is the ever-changing chemicals that are used to manufacture synthetic cannabis. Therefore it is important to make sure that this particular bill in its looking at contaminants of dwellings actually has a broader view to make sure that houses and dwellings for our people well into the future are safe for them to live in. What more can our people ask for. I think that's absolutely a fantastic move to make sure that those who rent these houses those who dare I say sometimes find themselves forced into renting some of these houses can actually have a leg to stand on a means to make sure that their families live safely and live healthy lives in those homes. I think this bill does that. It provides a voice. It provides balance in this. It also provides a fair amount of clarity. While there were questions during the committee stage about insurance I feel that they were well answered by the Minister. And now when we look at this the third reading of this bill we think about the challenges with regard to the insurance for these homes the obligations of the homeowner and the obligations of the tenant. They spell it out very clearly in this bill to give each an equal footing in the debate so that eviction notices actually are fairer so that the voices of the tenants are actually heard and to make sure that if there are instances where negligence is identified then those should be punished. This bill actually sets that out and I do want to support the words of the Minister in thanking the select committees from the last term and this term in their consideration of this bill. I know there were a number of submitters from right across many of the sectors—from tenants from homeowners from insurers and from other organisations—to make sure that we have a robust bill. While I admit that this bill started under the last Government I certainly believe that it is made far better and stronger under this one.Now I'm also obliged to remind the House that this is only one part of the work that's being done to make sure we address the housing crisis that the last Government ignored. We want to make sure that the housing crisis isn't simply about buildings or dwellings to make sure that we house more people but that in this bill—and I've already mentioned this and I'll say it again—those who live in them can live healthy and safe lives. Is that too much to ask for? I don't think so. Certainly in my time of five years as an MP now the housing issues that were brought to my office were significant. I have seen houses myself where I wouldn't let an animal live in that house. Dwellings like sheds boarding houses—all were places that weren't safe for our people. This bill will make sure that those provisions that will support the tenant and of course the owner are in place here in this bill.One of the other parts of the bill which I think is detailed quite well is around boarding houses because while there were lots of issues regarding dwellings or homes what actually came to light in the history of this bill is that boarding houses were a significant issue too. They were flying under the radar. All of the focus was on houses or sheds on properties when actually there was a significant issue with boarding houses as well. This bill is another good step in the right direction to make sure that those who make a lot of money off providing boarding houses actually provide boarding houses that are safe for those who dwell in them.One of the issues that was raised through the bill and I thought debated well which has left us with the bill in its final state before it's passed—one of the good parts about it is that as it talks about contamination we know that if you can identify a shed in a property that is clearly contaminated then we can still I guess ring-fence that off to make sure that the house is still inhabitable for those who are living there. In boarding houses we know that that is a significant challenge because all of the rooms obviously like any good boarding house are in a line. They're all next to each other. They're all part of the one building. This bill I think makes really good provisions to make sure that while it might be identified at a certain level in one room the entire building isn't shut down forcing more people out on to the street and into hardship. They sound small but they are actually significant.I recall when my office was in Onehunga simply looking outside my window. There were no less than three boarding houses opposite my office and I know that they were full. In fact they were so full that there was often a line outside because those who were so desperate would take whatever they could get. We know that particularly with the contamination aspects many of those people who were desperate and looking for a safe place to sleep in a boarding house have other challenges which I think that this Government is addressing quite well in other bits of legislation and policy that we're doing—but I digress.Coming back to this bill again this is a fantastic bill. We want to make sure that all of those tenants all of those who are living in dwellings can live there knowing full well that their rights but also their obligations are clearly spelt out in this bill.I've talked about tenants being able to find a voice. I've talked about landlords being able to find a voice. I've talked about the insurers. I've talked about the boarding houses. While on that side of the House they might laugh the fact remains that we still have a significant crisis in housing. This particular bill makes sure that we go a long way to making sure once again that our families are safe.There are also another number of bits of legislation and policy that will ensure that housing more broadly speaking will be better supported and that those who need it will be better supported. I don't want to go on too much longer other than to say congratulations to Minister Faafoi for seeing this bill through to this stage. Congratulations again to the Governance and Administration Committee for the work that they did to make sure that this bill is far more robust. I say to the other side of the House: but wait there's more to come. Thank you sir.