Bishop Chris; Davidson MaramaCHRIS BISHOP (National): Thank you very much Madam Chair. My question is actually for Minister Davidson around the Homelessness Action Plan. We had an exchange in the House a couple of months ago or so in which we were talking about the $100 million appropriated in Budget 2022. Very little of that money has been spent and I want to know from the Minister what is the barrier in getting the money out the door. I can see she's rising to her feet but just give me 30 seconds Minister to make my point which is that I know as she does that we are passionate about ending homelessness in New Zealand. The Minister's basic point a while ago seemed to be that the programmes had to be designed that it was very important that we do bottom-up initiatives and that people have got to be involved in the design of them and that's all well and good and that's important to some extent. But a year later people actually just want the money out the door and there are variety of different programmes that are working well already. I think of VisionWest Community Trust and I think of the Wellington Homeless Women's Trust which we've had a discussion about. So what is the barrier in getting the cash out the door to families and communities that need it? That's the first point that maybe the Minister can respond to. Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON (Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness)): I do genuinely thank the member for that question because it allows me to reiterate once again that the three initiatives that haven't yet fully contracted out are brand-spanking-new initiatives that are a completely different way of working from what this Government has ever seen and they do absolutely rely on a relational way of working between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the community leadership group. What I would impress upon the member is to not think of equating the progress with the actual contracting system of Government. So for all of the work that needs to be happening behind He Ara Hiki Mauri which is that the actual funds have already been devolved out to Te Matapihi and Arohanui ki te Tāngata—so those are Māori and community housing networks working together—that has been devolved out and then from there they are leading the design and the authority to then further contract out the services. They are still designing that but that heads of agreement has already been signed and it is sitting with the Māori authority—the Māori organisation. With the supported housing and rangatahi youth space—oh my goodness we have never done this before. I am closely connected with the providers who are going to be delivering this completely new service in a completely different way and the progress is absolutely happening in the way it should be happening. I have met with those providers who are already tagged for being able to do this work and just only a few days ago so I'm closely linked in. We are working with those with rangatahi expertise who are going to deliver the supported rangatahi part of the Budget. With the outreach part of the Budget we have actually already announced and contracted in for example the member's community at Kōkiri Marae and also Whangārei. So the work is happening and they have been helping us to continue that work. Then with the rangatahi transitional housing—my goodness! Again we've been able to—actually because that was an already existing initiative we've been able to almost fully make sure that that Budget funding is either provisionally allocated or contracted or has been spent already. But that's again because it is an existing initiative that is set up ready to go. I'm really proud that a Government is attempting and doing new ways of working. The work for those three new ways of working is happening. We need to not confuse contracting money and spending money to equate with the work isn't happening". The work is absolutely progressing and it is going to be delivered by the community who have designed it. I think this Government needs to be really proud of that progress."