9. Housing—Affordability and AvailabilityDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Minister for Building and ConstructionHousing—Affordability and Availability9. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Minister for Building and Construction: Does he agree with Liam Dann in the New Zealand Herald that Young house hunters should just give up."; if not why not?Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister of Justice) on behalf of the Minister for Building and Construction: No for a number of reasons. Firstly because the Auckland market is easing and we have seen median house prices in Auckland fall 8.5 percent since October. Secondly we are in the middle of the longest strongest boom Auckland has ever seen and only today Colliers reported that 2770 apartments are due to be completed this year—the highest since 2005—with 3840 apartments expected next year. Thirdly the HomeStart grants scheme—the most generous support for first-home buyers in a generation—has provided almost $130 million in grants which has helped over 27000 people into their first home with about 2500 of them in Auckland. I also note that there are currently over 1800 listings on TradeMe in Auckland for properties advertised under $600000. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order!David Seymour: In respect of the number of homes being built does the Minister agree that the current so-called house-building boom still gives us a lower number of homes built per capita than any of the decades from the 1970s 1980s 1990s or the 2000s?Hon AMY ADAMS: I have not had the opportunity to study the data that the member is referring to but what I can tell the member is that the number of houses being built in Auckland at the moment—of 10000 a year—is the highest in 10 years. The work that this Government has done around freeing up land supply around supporting housing projects is a big part of the reason for that growth but we could move a lot faster if there was more support across communities in this House.David Seymour: Is then Shamubeel Eaqub wrong when he says that New Zealand has underbuilt to the tune of half a million houses; if not why not?Hon AMY ADAMS: What I would say is that this is a Government that is doing everything it can to see more houses being built which is why the number has almost doubled since we have been in Government. If it was not for opposition across this House and across communities to things like the RMA reform to things like the special housing areas and to things like Three Kings and Point England we would be seeing even more houses built even faster—but thanks to this Government we are seeing more built in Auckland than we have for 10 years.David Seymour: In respect of RMA reform is the Minister disappointed that his own Government ended up voting against many of Amy Adams' most important proposed reforms which I put up in the RMA bill as amendments during the Committee stage such as recognising the importance of land supply economic development and infrastructure which would have made it easier to build homes?Hon AMY ADAMS: What I will say is that this Government is absolutely confident that the reforms that it has passed will help to further speed up the supply of land and houses into both the Auckland and the New Zealand markets. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order!David Seymour: Does the Minister have any advice for thrifty young homebuyers attempting to save faster than they can earn when the average price of housing in Auckland rose by $114000 last year and is now over $1 million?Hon AMY ADAMS: What I would say to homebuyers is that with interest rates at low levels houses are more affordable now than they have been for some time. Actually whether you look at the average or the median house prices in Auckland over the last several months they have been falling which is an encouraging sign.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to check the number of supplementary questions this member has been given. I cannot believe this sadism should go on like the way it is.Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the member attempts to use more than his allocation I will handle it.David Seymour: Indeed has the Minister enjoyed standing in for Nick Smith today and has she asked the Prime Minister whether she can do it more permanently as of 1 May?Hon AMY ADAMS: I always enjoy being a part of this team.David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr Peters you might have noticed we now have a point of order so it is meant to be heard in silence.David Seymour: In the course of some of the barracking in this question Ron Mark called me I think an idiot which is not only unparliamentary but as the events of today have shown it is a bit hypocritical.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I was going to assist the member until the last part of his point of order."