Craig LizDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour): It's a pleasure to talk again on this bill and I want to focus again on the Government policy statement (GPS) because I think it's incredibly important in terms of seeing that strategic direction for housing and urban development in New Zealand.Basically as we've already mentioned this has actually been extended by one year. So what the legislation says at the moment—what the bill says—is a Minister must issue a GPS on housing and urban development no later than 1 October 2021." The bill also outlines who must be consulted in terms of developing that GPS and it's not only Kāinga Ora itself but it's also any people or groups with an interest in housing or urban development. It's really important that we take that time because this is something that's incredibly significant for our country.I'd just like to read you in the Auckland Council submission some of their thoughts on the GPS. They said "We believe the GPS needs to set out a clear direction for Kāinga Ora … and help the agency to prioritise and focus its efforts where they will have the most impact. Without this guidance there is a risk that the agency will be spread too thinly across multiple locations which will hamper its ability to implement programmes efficiently and effectively. The GPS therefore has an important role to play in setting clear expectations and priorities for the new entity across the complex urban and housing system." They also go on to say "This will also help provide certainty to developers communities and local government." I think Auckland Council was thinking about the direction that the GPS would be providing Kāinga Ora but I also think that when we've got the purpose and the content of the GPS outlined in the bill what it talks about is that much more broader approach as well because it's not just Kāinga Ora but it's our whole housing and urban development that we'll be looking at in terms that strategic direction. So the purpose that's been introduced into the bill is that it's to "state the Government's overall direction and priorities for housing and urban development;" and also to "inform and guide the decisions and actions of agencies involved in and the activities necessary or desirable for housing and urban development."I think just reflecting we haven't actually seen yet—because it's still to be developed under consultation—what these priorities may be. But I think linking back to Part 1 of the bill where the bill outlines its operating principles it'd be just nice to get the Minister's reflection on as we think about the GPS moving forward how many of those operating principles will be underpinning and incorporated in that because I think there's a number of them that I think are particularly relevant.I think the first one in the operating principles in clause 14(1)(a) is "providing good quality warm dry and healthy rental housing:". I mean this is something with the housing crisis that we've inherited—this is one of the things: there's a huge need for warm dry affordable rental accommodation. Where I live down south it's an incredible acute shortage and it is it sounds like around the country. So having this in a GPS and thinking about how we make sure in our broader strategic direction that we've got sufficient rental housing of a good quality to meet people's housing needs is incredibly important.Then some of the other operating principles which relate to ensuring housing supply meets needs I think are probably quite important. One of them is clause 14(1)(e) "managing its housing stock prudently including upgrading and managing its housing to ensure it remains fit for purpose:"—so thinking through how we make sure we've got that fit for purpose housing. Then the second one is clause 14(1)(f) "ensuring that the housing it develops is appropriately mixed"—so that's public affordable and market housing—"and is of good quality:". I think again it's thinking about if we're doing these urban development projects making sure that we do we do have that mix of housing because we're not just creating houses; we're creating a community and we're making a community of people that are going to be coming together and living and sharing a lot of time together in that community.I think the other thing that we've put into the operating principles: we've had the need to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. I think this is incredibly important and that's not only in the operating principles but it's also outlined in Part 2 of the bill where it outlines what the GPS must include. Among the other things it's talking about is a multi-decade approach and this is where we've got to set that broader vision because this infrastructure will take time to develop. But it also says that it must include how the Government expects Kāinga Ora to recognise the need to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change because a lot of our housing in our country is within a few metres of sea level rise but also a lot of our basic infrastructure—our roads and our airports—are the same. It's going to be really important to take that multi-decade approach in terms of thinking where we're putting our housing in the bigger picture. So thank you Madam Chair."