8. Māori Development—Housing and Whānau Ora SpendingKELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister for Māori DevelopmentMāori Development—Housing and Whānau Ora SpendingKELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau): I seek leave to hold my question over until the Minister for Māori Development is available to answer.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There is objection. 8. KELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister for Māori Development: Does he believe that the lives of Māori have improved during his time as Minister for Māori Development?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Housing): on behalf of the Minister for Māori Development: Yes.Kelvin Davis: How have Māori lives improved with the Māori homeownership rate plummeting to just 28 percent under his watch and with Māori facing a rate of homelessness more than five times greater than the European population?Hon PAULA BENNETT: The Māori Housing Network provides funding of approximately $17.6 million per annum for housing projects aimed at improving the quality and affordability of homes as well as increasing the number of whare available. The Māori Housing Network is supporting 87 projects around the motu. These projects include helping to repair 243 whānau homes building 42 new affordable homes supporting provision of emergency housing facilities and providing infrastructure for 116 houses. This is making a difference and that is what the focus is on.Kelvin Davis: Why has his Kāinga Whenua Loan Scheme failed so dramatically to build houses given fewer than five loans have been given out each year?Hon PAULA BENNETT: They are currently running projects throughout the country and going around and speaking at different events to make sure that they are talking to people about how they might be working. We will be seeing that number increase.Kelvin Davis: Does he think his Māori Housing Network is really going to help Māori into homes when it organised more workshops last year than it built houses?Hon PAULA BENNETT: The whole idea is to be talking to people and making sure that the projects do fit with what they want locally and what they need. The answer to that question is a definite yes.Kelvin Davis: Does he accept that he has overseen some of the worst declines for Māori homeownership that there are children living in cars and that he is a Minister in a Government that his co-leader called a slum lord"?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I think that the Minister for Māori Development is making huge inroads when it comes to Māori housing and how that can be done from Te Ture Whenua Māori land to how they are actually pulling that together to the loans that are available to making sure that our young people do have access. I think it is making progress.Darroch Ball: How have the lives of Māori improved if Te Puni Kōkiri and Whānau Ora commissioning agencies—[Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will require substantially less interference from my right-hand side. The member can start his question again.Darroch Ball: How have the lives of Māori improved if Te Puni Kōkiri and Whānau Ora commissioning agencies have exited almost 30 of the 50 contracts nationwide that were transferred from the Ministry of Social Development while he keeps the funding and enjoys a slush fund of almost $3 million?Hon PAULA BENNETT: That member has made his views pretty clear in this House many times on how he sees Whānau Ora operating. The reality is that it has showed that more than 11500 whānau are being supported to improve and achieve things across their lives. This is about working alongside Māori in their homes in their communities and seeing them be aspirational and working towards success not about actually holding funds close to them and not making a difference."