Ngaro Alfred: Social Housing Reform (Transaction Mandate) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Social Housing Reform (Transaction Mandate) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 17 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:9107. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (National): I take a call on this bill. I just want to make some comments. Mrs Poto Williams did actually talk about the look on my face when she was talking about the State houses that were in disrepair and Mr Twyford has his head in his hands because he realises what is coming. Mrs Poto Williams probably needs to talk to Mr Twyford. Let us not talk about the Community Housing Aotearoa Impact Conference in 2014; let us talk about Hansard because that is right here in this House. Let us talk about when on the record in Hansard Mr Twyford actually said this—and here are his words which he said in the debate around the extending of income-related rent subsidies to community housing providers: “We are not opposed in fact to the Minister’s intention to shift housing stock across to community housing providers.”—and I love these three words—“That makes sense.” That makes sense.I have to say that Mrs Poto Williams has talked about her disgust. She may need to talk to her fellow colleague about her disgust at his even agreeing with the transfer of stock—the transfer of stock. It does not make sense but that seems to be the way it is.Mrs Poto Williams also talked about State houses that are in disrepair. She makes an absolutely valid point. Look for any of us here in our roles of leadership and roles of responsibility we would want to make sure that the families that are in State houses do have homes that are warm that are dry and that would also cater for their care their well-being and their needs.Mr Twyford was there—in fact it is a pity because we had Mrs Poto Williams on our select committee but she was changed over for Mr Twyford—and when we had the annual review of Housing New Zealand he questioned Mr Glen Sowry about the state of repair of those homes. Mr Twyford questioned that and what the conditions were. Mr Sowry in his report that I have here in front of me talked about $400 million of maintenance and upgrades. He also followed that up with this comment to Mr Twyford: “We have to say this”—and he did not say it when the Government came in—“that for a long period of time many of those houses were in a state of disrepair. There had not been the focus the energy and the effort to repair those homes.”Hon Member: They’ll always blame the Labour Government.ALFRED NGARO: Yes the member may go on but it is fact.Let us deal with the evidence that comes from Housing New Zealand itself that for a long time there had been no attention paid to this. So what do we have now? We have homes that are warmer we have homes that are drier we have homes that are ventilated and we have homes that are heated for the care and well-being of tenants.Let us also make the point—and we are talking about Part 2 the transactional mandate of this bill. I know that Mr Twyford and Mrs Williams have been talking about the great State housing sell-off. Let us talk about this. In 2008 when the National Party came into Government the current stock was around 62000 right? As of last week what we were told was that it is about 67000. That is what we are talking about—67000. OK? These are the homes—Phil Twyford: That includes leases Alfred. You are confusing two different numbers.ALFRED NGARO: Well we have it here. This report was submitted to us from the annual review OK? This is what came through: 190000 people are actually tenanted into those homes. What is important is in here.When we were talking about the so-called great State sell-off the first transfer of the stock was around 2800 to the Tāmaki Redevelopment Company. In comparison with what we are talking about this is not a huge sell-off. It is not 30 40 or 50 percent—it is not half of the stock. It is the stock that can go into the hands of a social housing provider and that can meet its needs.Can I acknowledge the VisionWest Community Trust out in west Auckland: Lisa Woolley and Mark Bridges who is the chairman. In the work that they are doing they are a fine example of a social housing provider. Here also from Mr Twyford’s own words himself when he said that there is sometimes the need for another provider—and here is Part 2. It is a transactional mandate. It is a partnership with a provider that has the means and the ability to meet a variety of different needs that the State cannot provide. However what it does is it keeps its responsibility of providing a housing provision. So the transfer of that stock—approved by Mr Twyford—into the partnership of housing providers is the right thing to do. It is the right thing to do.We know that the rent reviews—the tenancy reviews—were absolutely the right thing. In fact Major Campbell Roberts was also part of that.