11. Question No. 11—HousingNICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Minister of HousingQuestion No. 11—Housing11. NICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Minister of Housing: Does she have confidence that taxpayers are getting good value for the money being spent by Government housing agencies; if so what was the total cost incurred to make videos promoting the Progressive Home Ownership scheme?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing): In answer to the first part of the question I do have confidence that taxpayers are getting good value for the money being spent by Government housing agencies. For example I think it is value for money that they are overseeing the largest housing build programme in a generation that will see over 18000 new public and transitional houses built by 2024; supporting more than 1000 people who have been sleeping rough or in overcrowded conditions during COVID-19; improving the quality of our housing stock; and rental reforms to better protect renters and I think there is a particular value for money in the ongoing work developing new initiatives such as the Government's Progressive Home Ownership Fund a scheme that is helping families otherwise locked out of homeownership into their own homes—just a small snapshot of our many achievements in housing. In answer to the second part of the question the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has produced five videos promoting the Government's $400 million progressive homeownership scheme at a total cost of $10628.20 plus staff travel costs of $670.84. This sum does include the $1311 plus GST spent on the video I posted on Twitter on 23 February. Nicola Willis: How can she justify spending more than $11000 on a promo video for a scheme that has only housed 12 families?SPEAKER: Order! I'm going to ask the member to rephrase the question.Hon Member: Does she."Nicola Willis: Does she justify spending more than $11000 on a promo video for a scheme that has only housed 12 families?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I will stand by spending $10000 on a scheme that is going to help 1500 to 4000 families into homeownership who are otherwise locked out of it. I note that there have been other commentators that have talked about the value of telling real people's stories in video. I quote: "Housing New Zealand advises me that the video was developed as a tool to tell the story of Housing New Zealand to a variety of audiences. Furthermore Housing New Zealand's business is complex and telling its story"—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! Order! I'm going to hear the rest of this answer with only the Minister contributing. Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: "Housing New Zealand's business is complex and telling its story helps the people community stakeholders and organisations it's worked with get a greater understanding of what Housing New Zealand does." The author of this of course was the Rt Hon Bill English when defending $11000 spent producing one video.Nicola Willis: Has social media feedback on the "game-changer" video been largely positive or largely negative?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I don't count my Twitter counts. What I am more interested in is the 1500 to 4000 families who are otherwise shut out of homeownership that our Government's investment is going to help. I suggest that member get out into the real world and talk to some of the families being assisted.Nicola Willis: Can she confirm producing her promo video involved a specialist videographer a drone and two staff members?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: What I can confirm is that in the course of a—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! I think that's not an appropriate comment about a member.Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: What I can confirm is that in the course of a one-hour visit to a family that had been helped into homeownership I spent approximately three minutes doing a piece to camera. Drone footage that was already on file with HUD was cut into it. What I suggest is that member start focusing on the real issues in housing and move beyond some sideshows.Nicola Willis: Can she confirm there are more than 11 officials working full-time on this scheme that has only benefited 12 families?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I can confirm that we as a Government are putting resource into progressive homeownership and furthermore what I can confirm to that member is there have been 166 places contracted for progressive homeownership. Twelve families have already moved in three more families are moving in next week and 13 more families will move in by April and this is performing better than we said it would. We said that the first two schemes would produce 100 places—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! Order! Members ask the questions. They've got to decide whether they want them answered or not and if they are to be answered they have to be answered in a way that can be heard. Now the Minister does not have a wee voice. She has quite a strong voice and I am having trouble hearing her over the hubbub from my left. Once again the rest of this supplementary answer will be heard in silence. Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Thank you Mr Speaker. If I can pick up where I left off we said in the initial press release that went out there would be 100 people helped by the first two providers; 103 places have been contracted. The original Cabinet paper said 300 places would be contracted in the first two years. We are only about five or six months into it and we already have 166 of those places contracted. I suggest that member move on to the real issues in housing and move beyond sideshows. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! I'd just taken away the final supplementary from the Opposition because of the interjection from the Hon Judith Collins at the beginning. I'm now giving them that one back and another one for the two from my right. When I say something is to be heard in silence it is to be.Nicola Willis: Is she planning on guest starring in any more slick videos promoting Government housing schemes?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I think that member is betraying her true colours and the fact that she belongs to a party that has absolutely no ambition to help people locked out of homeownership into homeownership. I am proud of the scheme that we have put into place and I certainly am planning to continue promoting it. Nicola Willis: How do taxpayers benefit from a $10000 video promoting a scheme most will never access?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I take the member back to the comments by the former leader of the member's party Bill English when he talked about spending $11000 on one video. What I suggest is that that member get outside of her ivory tower and speak to some real people."