van Velden BrookeBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. I don't doubt for a second that this Government and our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern seriously want more families living in warm dry affordable homes and want more stability for New Zealanders that rent. I don't doubt that the Minister of Housing Megan Woods or the Minister before her Phil Twyford have warm intentions when it comes to wanting to build more homes. It's good that our politics is kind and civilised and we can acknowledge that. But we still have to be honest with each other when the results don't come in—and the results haven't come in.The Government's policies are failing New Zealanders. KiwiBuild the flagship policy didn't deliver a single home in January—not one. The Government has spent $30 million from the Land for Housing Programme on a deal at Ihumātao. That deal doesn't say houses have to be built; it says they may be built. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said that there may be other uses more suitable for the land. So we've spent $30 million of taxpayers' money that was supposed to be set aside for homes for our families and not a single home might be built—not a single home. In the meantime Fletcher Building has stopped the development they were meant to start in 2019 to build almost 500 homes. We've actually gone backwards. This Government was elected to make housing affordable. Over three years later the median house price has risen astronomically. Reports show not only that housing in New Zealand is unaffordable by international standards and getting worse but also the reason why. We are not building enough homes. This shortage and price inflation had to filter through to the rental market and it has. The Government's policy is to impose higher standards on rentals. So another well-intended policy has pushed rents up and led to an even greater shortage of houses available for families to rent as landlords sell up. This affects students struggling to find affordable accommodation at this time of year and young professionals and families who were struggling before and are struggling even more now.Here is a simple practical example of why the Government's policies haven't helped: heat pumps. A new law requires the installation of larger heat pumps in many rentals. Bigger sounds better and warmer except that larger heat pumps are more costly to run and as a result they're less likely to be turned on to heat rooms especially when there's just enough money coming in to pay rent and feed the kids. That's not to mention the initial cost. But if landlords don't install an oversized heat pump they can't rent it out. It's the law. This is just one small example of how the Government with the best will in the world makes things worse. We need an honest conversation about housing. Kindness doesn't help much when you're homeless when you're forced to make hard and painful life decisions. Sadly that's the reality for more and more people in this country. The Government's policies on housing haven't seen results. They haven't even stopped things getting worse.Last week I met an adoring father to a bubbly beautiful one-year-old girl. He'd love to give her a sibling to share a bond with and grow with. But he and his wife had to make that hard call to stop at one child. Most of their weekly income goes on rent and they couldn't afford to save any money for a house to provide stability for their little girl with a second child to feed and clothe. Every rental price increase makes it harder for a person making a plan to leave an abusive or threatening relationship. Higher rents make it harder to get out safely with the kids and find an affordable long-term rental on one income. New Zealanders shouldn't be forced to choose between their safety the wellbeing of their children or children at all just to put a roof over their heads.Over the last two years the rental cost of a three-bedroom home has increased 40 percent in Highbury in Palmerston North. None of the Government's policies on housing has fixed this. If the Government really wants to end child poverty end people living in cars and garages and motels and ensure more people have access to warm dry homes it needs to act. It needs to get to the root of the problem—too few homes. It needs to make it easier to build and that is what this Government should care about. If they need solutions they're welcome to head to the ACT Party website and read our solutions in full. They might find it enlightening. Thank you Madam Speaker.