Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 22 June 2010. Volume:664;Page:12003. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Housing 
: Does he believe that all New Zealanders should have access to appropriate and affordable housing? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister of Housing 
: As the Minister stated in the House yesterday we are committed to assisting New Zealanders most in need. Budget 2010 contains $1.76 billion for over 300000 households which are provided assistance through income-related rents and the accommodation supplement. That is an increase of 17 percent compared with Budget 2008. In Budget 2009 we also committed $350 million to insulate 180000 homes over a 4-year period. 
Moana Mackey 
: Why when more than 1100 people are on Housing New Zealand waiting lists in the Wellington region 332 in the Hutt Valley alone are more than 40 State houses sitting empty at Pomare? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: As was made clear on television last night there are matters to be dealt with in the courts in respect of some antisocial residents in that area and at the conclusion of that there will be a redevelopment of those properties in Pomare. As the Minister indicated there is also some difficulty with tenants preferring not to be in the Pomare area. 
Moana Mackey 
: Why does he keep claiming that court action involving three families is preventing him from going ahead with promised renovations to more than 40 properties in the Pomare community? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: That is because the Minister is concerned that if there is to be redevelopment in Pomare in order to improve the standard of the houses there which the Government inherited from that member’s party then it should be done at such a time when the antisocial element of that neighbourhood has been dealt with. Many people do not want to move to the area because of their concerns about those tenants and until that matter is resolved there will not be the redevelopment that people would want. 
Tim Macindoe 
: What commitment has the Government made to providing appropriate housing for Housing New Zealand Corporation tenants? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Left a State housing portfolio in serious disrepair by the previous Government this Government committed an additional $120 million to the housing portfolio in February last year. The corporation has completed over 20000 upgrades to its homes since February 2009 at a total cost of almost $152 million and it will complete another 8000 upgrades in the next financial year. This Government is also committed to increasing the State housing stock by 1550 houses by June 2012. As at 30 April we have delivered 647 of those new homes. 
Moana Mackey 
: Why is he choosing to punish an entire community for the actions of a few; and despite his claims that no one wants to live in Pomare will he allow those people who said on television last night that they would love to live there to have those State houses renovated and to move in? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Minister is not punishing a few people; the Minister is recognising that there is a community there in need of renewal in terms of the housing stock because so many mouldy and unsuitable houses were inherited from the previous Government. People want to know that if they are to bring up their kids in those houses then they should not have to worry about an antisocial element that makes that neighbourhood not what it could be. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Rather than continuing to stereotype the entire Pomare community based on the actions of a few people will he accept an invitation from me to accompany him on a visit to the Pomare community to speak to the local residents firsthand and to see the state of the houses that they are asked to live in; and if he is willing to accept that will he also bring with him the Minister of Health so that he can see firsthand the impact of the $300000 funding cut that has been imposed on the local health service? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: First of all I am sure it is not a neighbourhood where the local member needs to be accompanied by the Minister of Health to go there to visit it. I can tell that member that we would like the people of Pomare and indeed of the entire Hutt Valley to know of the very poor state of the State housing stock that this Government inherited. That is why we have put millions into upgrading the State housing stock—so that New Zealanders have more home opportunities.