7. Question No. 7—Housing (Public Housing)SIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)Question No. 7—Housing (Public Housing)7. SIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Can he confirm that almost 15000 New Zealanders are currently waiting for a State house and that the waiting list is more than double what it was when the National-led Government left office?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)): I can advise that the January data on the public housing wait-list will be available publicly and to the member and the House very soon. For some time the waiting list has shown that New Zealand is facing a severe housing shortage and more people—especially those with fewer resources—are asking for help. The Government has placed a strong emphasis on people coming forward and telling us if they need housing support and doing everything we can to get a roof over their heads and this is contributing to more people requesting help from the Government than under National.SPEAKER: Order! While there's no requirement to give a yes no or an absolute answer the second part of the question is one that I think needs more addressing than it received from the Minister. He will finish the answer.Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I am advised that the latest waiting list figures have the figure at 14996 and that under the previous Government it was just a little under 6000.Simon O'Connor: Was the Prime Minister running a factual campaign when she said in the Parliament We can house the homeless." and if so how does he explain the Government now purchasing whole motel complexes?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: For some time the Government has used motels in order to house people who are in need of transitional housing while we ramp up the largest State building programme since the 1970s. This Government's approach is markedly different than the previous; we are building thousands of homes and the previous Government demolished thousands of homes.Simon O'Connor: What is his response to Scott Figenshow of Community Housing Aotearoa who said that motels were a band-aid and not a genuine solution to the housing crisis in light of more and more motel places being utilised by this Government?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I agree with Mr Figenshow it is a band-aid solution. We wouldn't need that band-aid if the previous Government hadn't sold and demolished State homes.Simon O'Connor: Can the Minister confirm that those "thousands of homes" that were sold and demolished were often sold to community housing providers or new houses fourfold built upon?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I'm really glad that that member asked that question. It is true that a number of houses were transferred to the likes of Accessible Properties and the Tamaki Regeneration group. What National isn't telling us is that we're close to a further 3000 homes between 2012 and 2017—State homes—that just went missing.Hon Ron Mark: How many community houses would this Government have to provide in the Wairarapa today if a previous Government hadn't sold off the 585 to Trust House? Hon KRIS FAAFOI: A double blow for the National Party there because it did nothing in the Wairarapa in the previous nine years of Government and I understand sold off the entire State house stock with the previous Government before the last Government. Hon Chris Hipkins: Can the Minister confirm that many of the State houses that were demolished were not replaced at all and the land sat vacant for years and years and years? Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I thank the Minister for the question which is yes. I have an example in my own electorate where land stood dormant and looked like a park for eight years and lo and behold when we came into Government houses are being built. Kieran McAnulty: Can he confirm that if the previous Government built houses at the same rate as this Government there wouldn't be a waiting list at all? Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The questioner is correct. Simon O'Connor: Does the Minister believe that his colleagues are becoming rather defensive in asking all these supplementary questions?SPEAKER: Order! That was a deliberately disorderly question for which the member has no responsibility and Simon O'Connor knows it and chipping from my predecessor doesn't help.Hon Dr Megan Woods: Can the Minister confirm that many of the houses that National claimed that they planned while in Government were in fact unfunded and it fell on Budget 2018 to provide the funding for what would have otherwise been ghost houses?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I thank that member and a number of members who have been proud enough to stand up and ask questions of me around public housing from this Government. We are proud that we have built nearly over 4000 public housing spots since we came to office and have doubled the transitional housing places available since we came into Government which again I would point out is a marked difference to the previous Government.Hon Paula Bennett: Could the Minister please confirm how many hundreds of millions of dollars was spent on State housing in Christchurch alone?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I don't have that figure on me but I would say that in Budget 2018—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order!Hon KRIS FAAFOI: —this Government committed $328 million to building more State homes of which we have delivered over 4300; something we are very proud of.Hon Stuart Nash: Is the Minister aware that in Napier alone the previous Government pulled down about 130 State houses and apartments and didn't replace one of them?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Unfortunately that is just one example of the previous Government who took their wrecking ball to many State homes around the country. We are swinging hammers not wrecking balls; building homes not wrecking them."