Parata Hekia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Parata Hekia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:668;Page:14854] 
11. 
HEKIA PARATA (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: What are the current challenges the Government is facing with social housing? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Housing) 
: 
 One of the challenges is that a State house is currently the only benefit in New Zealand where once someone is in that person’s need is never reassessed. As a result we have over 5000 Housing New Zealand Corporation tenants paying market rents who could afford to rent from the landlord next door and all the while 4000 families are classified on the waiting list as high priority for a State house. We also interestingly have over 2700 tenants in homes that are underutilised with two or three spare bedrooms. A similar number of tenants 2700 are in houses that are deemed to be overcrowded and really need to be transferred to a larger property. 
Hekia Parata 
: Is the Minister able to provide any real life examples of those situations? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: I do have in hand a couple of examples. In Henderson for example we have a tenant in a four-bedroom home who originally lived with her husband two adult children and one dependent child. She is now the only tenant and she has three spare bedrooms. If that tenant could have been moved into a smaller property the house could be a match for a single mother and her seven young children who have been living in a garage since her marriage broke up. Four bedrooms would still be a squeeze but I think that family of eight would have found it better than the garage they were often put in under the previous Government. 
Hekia Parata 
: What cost does underutilisation have for the New Zealand taxpayer? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: Firstly for every home that is underutilised by two or more bedrooms there is a family that is living in overcrowded accommodation. Secondly many taxpayers do not realise that they pay Housing New Zealand Corporation the difference between an income-related rent that tenants pay and the market rent for the property. The larger the property generally the larger the subsidy. For example in Otara we have a single tenant who is living in a four-bedroom house and paying a rent of $47. There are three spare bedrooms and the tenant is paying $47 in rent. Other tenants of course are languishing on the waiting list while that person with three spare bedrooms gets a $21000 subsidy per year. 
Moana Mackey 
: Does he agree with Housing New Zealand Corporation staff who say that the biggest impediment to moving people on from their Housing New Zealand Corporation home which the staff try to do now is not that they refuse to move but that they have nowhere to move to and does he stand by his statement that no tenants will be made to leave their Housing New Zealand Corporation properties if they do not have anywhere to go? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: The biggest impediment to Housing New Zealand Corporation staff moving tenants on and asking them to be moved on is that the staff have not been allowed to ask them to move on in the last decade. 
Moana Mackey 
: Which parts of the country will see a reduction in the number Housing New Zealand Corporation properties because they are deemed to have an oversupply of State housing? 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: The areas of the country that will see an increase in the amount of social housing will be the areas that have high needs. The areas of New Zealand that will see a decrease in the amount of social housing will be the areas of low needs. It is not exactly rocket science! I suppose we could be like Labour and build State houses just in Labour seats but we are the National Government and we would rather put houses where the needs are. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Hon Annette King 
: He’s just a show off. 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY 
: Well I am. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: On this occasion the Minister himself is lucky that the honourable deputy leader of the Labour Party interjected or he would have been leaving the House because when I get to my feet even Ministers will sit down. The Minister had said quite enough and the question did not justify the last part of that answer. The important thing is that when I get to my feet Ministers will sit down. He is just darn lucky that there was an interjection from the other side of the House or he would be leaving the House. I insist that that rule will be obeyed.