11. Question No. 11—Housing (Public Housing)SIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)Question No. 11—Housing (Public Housing)11. SIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Can he confirm the number of applicants waiting for a State house has doubled to over 12000 since the 2017 election and that the median time an applicant waits for a State house is around 125 days?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)): As at 31 July 2019 the number of applicants on the housing register for public housing is 12644 which is unacceptably high as is the wait time the member has mentioned. This Government recognises the scale and urgency around the lack of public housing which we have been left to fix. This Government is building public housing at the highest rate in the past two decades. It will take us some time to catch up after the neglect of the previous Government but we are committed to ensuring we deliver safe warm stable accommodation to everyone who needs it.Simon O'Connor: Can the Minister confirm that over 3000 families are living in motels as emergency housing and that this is a significant increase since Labour became Government?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Yes. Again that is an unacceptably high number and we are working on making sure that people can get affordable warm housing.Simon O'Connor: What word would the Minister use to describe over 12000 Kiwis waiting for a State house particularly when he considers Labour MPs calling a waiting list of 5000 a crisis?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I've already used a word and that's unacceptable". Back in 2013 a Massey University study found that there were 41000 New Zealanders homeless and that Government at that time did nothing about it. In fact it demolished and sold off State homes. We have planned to build 6400 homes—1600 on average—and at this stage we are overshooting that mark because we are committed to making sure that there are affordable homes available for all Kiwis who need it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it a fact Minister that thousands of those families could've been housed right now had public housing not been sold by the previous Government?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: That is correct. If the previous Government had built public housing at the level at which we are building it now there would be no waiting list. Instead they demolished and sold off homes and I'm quite happy to invite the member to some of the Housing New Zealand land sites which lay dormant under that Government but are getting houses built on them now.Paul Eagle: How many public houses is the Government building per year?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I can confirm that the Government is building over 1600 public houses each year and that if the previous Government again built at that rate there would be no waiting list at all.Paul Eagle: What is the initial projection of public houses to be delivered in 2019-20?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Initial projections are that for 2019-20 we will deliver 2628 additional public houses which shows our commitment to ensure that everyone who needs a warm safe affordable home can get one.Simon O'Connor: Does the Minister stand by statements of his officials in answers to written questions that most of the State houses currently built were started by the National Government?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Not necessarily but I do stand by my statement that if the previous Government had built at the rate that we had we would have no waiting lists at all. They're quite happy to criticise for making the mess but you made it and we are fixing it.SPEAKER: Order! I didn't.Simon O'Connor: How is social housing going in this year of delivery particularly in light of the Prime Minister's statement that "There is no reason why there should be homelessness in a country like New Zealand."?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: It's going like 3163 additional public housing spaces since this Government came to power.Simon O'Connor: Does he consider it a success in the year of delivery that the Government has only delivered larger waiting lists for State houses more people in motels and higher—SPEAKER: Order! Order! You're only allowed two legs all right? The member had three. The Minister only has to answer one.Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I consider it success that when we aim to build 1600 homes per annum we overshot that mark by 600 in the past year and in terms of delivery we were delivered a crisis and we are fixing it."