10. Social Housing—Reform and EvictionsJAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister for Social HousingSocial Housing—Reform and Evictions10. JAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister for Social Housing: Are the Government's social housing changes providing a fairer and more efficient" assessment of people's housing needs when Sister Anne Hurley of the Sisters of Mercy says that "state houses in Wiri were now changing hands every few months as successive tenants were evicted"?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Housing): The member is confusing the assessment of people's needs by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the tenancy management policies of Housing New Zealand. However we have made a number of changes that I believe have provided fairer and more efficient outcomes such as prioritising families at risk of rheumatic fever requiring tenants to nominate three areas that they want to live in and increasing the range of housing support products available.Jan Logie: Does she accept as reported in the New Zealand Herald that miscommunication between Work and Income and her housing needs assessment unit which she put into MSD to ensure a fairer and more efficient process has instead resulted in wrongful eviction orders being given to already struggling families?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well I am not aware of details around particular cases that the media have been putting out there but what I do know is that Housing New Zealand informs me that it evicts people very much as a last resort. When someone is behind in their rent every effort is made to make contact with the tenant so that they can work out a repayment schedule and work with MSD. As a last resort Housing New Zealand goes to the Tenancy Tribunal where again they have mediation and try to work out a repayment schedule. If there is miscommunication between MSD and Housing New Zealand on individuals then I expect that to be sorted out and not to be the case.Jan Logie: When Housing New Zealand is evicting families does the Minister know whether they are going to cars garages the streets or to her "ghost" emergency beds?Hon PAULA BENNETT: What I know is that it is an absolute last resort for Housing New Zealand to be looking at evicting people and if it is in general there a number of reasons but the bulk of them are actually for quite serious antisocial behaviour and illegal activity. The other reason that Housing New Zealand is looking at moving people within a 90-day period is to shift them which is through no fault of their own and it looks at moving them on to another place. That might be around health and safety or the house is deemed to be unsafe. It is a last resort to evict people out of their houses but there should be mutual obligations to treat them with respect. Jan Logie: Will the Minister guarantee that no more families will be evicted or threatened with eviction because Work and Income and her housing needs assessment unit are not talking to each other?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I certainly expect MSD and Housing New Zealand to be working together on individual people and ensuring that they are sharing that information but equally we need people to engage with Housing New Zealand when there are problems. By the time we get to the point of giving 90-day notices particularly on the issue of their rent arrears it is because people have not been engaging with them and have been ignoring requests. Phil Twyford: Is it fair for her staff to leak private information about a police investigation doing what she always does: character assassination to divert attention from her failed housing policy? [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will allow the Minister if she wants to answer.Hon PAULA BENNETT: That is an utterly ridiculous question and just simply not true."