Street Maryan: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Street Maryan: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:647;Page:15986] 
Hon MARYAN STREET (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 It gives me great pleasure to rise to speak to the housing section of this debate. I would like to traverse a couple of points. The previous speaker touched on his usual favourites. He likes to do what Tony Ryall does in the area of health which is to wave as many shrouds as possible without ever on any occasion providing either vision or a future-oriented policy that could address the housing needs of this country. 
I am proud of the work that Housing New Zealand Corporation has done in the last year. I am proud also of the work it is currently engaged in and will be delivering on into the future. There is no doubt that housing need strikes at the very heart of our society. I am very privileged to be the Minister of Housing. Housing is a portfolio that the Labour Party has always held very dear and it is a privilege to have it. 
State housing is an essential feature of our social make-up and the previous speaker acknowledged that. For the first time in my hearing—and perhaps for the first time ever—he actually said he was pleased we were building and acquiring more State houses. That has to stand in stark contrast to the practice of the National Party when it was last in Government. National’s practice when it was last in Government however much those members hate us repeating it was to do away with 13500 State houses. It sold them to its developer friends and now the spokesperson on housing for the National Party feigns compassion. He feigns concern for the people at the bottom of the socio-economic scale in New Zealand. That kind of—there is a word here that I am not allowed to use—approach is not enough and it is not credible for that member to take that kind of approach now. 
I would like to traverse some of the things that this Government is doing and that Housing New Zealand Corporation has done in the last year in order to address the issue of housing affordability which of course has become a hot issue. It has become a hot issue because in the last 5 years between 2002 and 2007 house prices have increased by about 80 percent right across the country. That is extremely difficult even for a very progressive Labour-led Government to keep up with. It is extremely difficult for anybody to keep up with. So we have been seeing for the first time people who at this stage of their lives and with their earning potential ought to be able to buy their own houses being locked out of that over the last 5 years. 
At every turn with every piece of policy and every intervention this Government is trying to address that issue. No one item will ever solve that problem; no one policy or initiative on its own will ever do that. The lack—the paucity—of ideas from the Opposition just makes me shake my head. I cannot believe that those members opposite think that all the solutions are to be found in the Resource Management Act. I cannot believe the stupidity of the impoverished idea that says solutions of that kind are to be found in the Resource Management Act. [ 
Interruption 
] If that member could bring some vision some contribution and some possibility to the debate then everybody might be better off. However we will box on without him because he is clearly unable to do that—as is his party—apart from approving of the fact that we are adding to the State housing stock and I welcome that contribution. 
I wish that members opposite had come to that realisation in the 1990s instead of introducing market rents. Where would we be now if the market rents policy was continuing today? Yes rents are increasing and how would we be dealing with our most impoverished in this country if we had the National Party policy of market rents? It does not matter how much members bleat from the other side. They absolutely know that they have never had a policy position that addresses housing need in this country. 
The Government is looking to address the issue of housing affordability across a range of fronts. [ 
Interruption 
] I am sorry if that is too complex for the member who is interjecting. She will get it eventually if we say it often enough so I will continue to say it. Housing New Zealand Corporation is engaged not only in providing social housing but in promoting some of the most expansive programmes for addressing affordable housing that this country has ever seen and I look forward to the implementation of those policies and to opening some of those houses in the near future. 
Report noted.