Luxton JoJO LUXTON (Labour): Thank you. I'm so very pleased to be able to take a call on the Rates Rebate (Retirement Village Residents) Amendment Bill in its third reading and I really want to congratulate the Hon Ruth Dyson for all the work and effort that she's put into getting this bill here in front of this House. Ruth has been a huge advocate for the elderly and that's something that she really really needs to be commended for. I just want to make the point that members opposite have made quite a bit of a deal about criticising the bill and calling it a dog's breakfast in its initial stages but I actually think we need to stop and think about and appreciate the intent. The intent has always been to make things fairer and better for people that are living in retirement village homes with an occupation right agreement. This bill was introduced by the Hon Ruth Dyson. It allows people living in a retirement village with an occupation rights agreement the ability to apply for a rates rebate. As we know some people are eligible to apply for a rates rebate but at this stage it is available only to people living in their own homes at an address and paying the rates at that address.The idea behind the rates rebates scheme was one that we all know originally came from Norman Kirk. He believed that people on lower incomes such as benefits and superannuation could be put under financial hardship by meeting the obligations of making their rates repayments. Therefore he introduced the rates rebates scheme as a way to give people a hand up. The scheme was well received fit for purpose and met the needs of New Zealanders at that time. But as we know times have changed and there was not the amount of retirement villages back then that we have now. More and more elderly people are choosing to spend their later years living in retirement villages and they shouldn't be penalised or miss out on the opportunity to apply for rates rebates just because of where they choose to live.We now know that there are over 360 retirement villages throughout New Zealand and this number is continuing to grow all the time particularly as we have an ageing population. This equates to approximately 34000 people living in retirement villages with more joining all the time. What we have here is a bill that is absolutely fit for purpose further enhanced by the changes made as the bill has progressed through its various stages in the House. It is about fairness and equity. It's not complex; nor is this a difficult bill to understand and implement. It can't be too difficult as several councils have already implemented it and it is excellent to see the councils being proactive being forward-thinking and allowing individual residents with occupation right agreements to apply for a rates rebates.Currently there are 27000 people potentially missing out on the opportunity for a rates rebate. How is that possibly and even remotely fair? A person living right next door to the retirement village could well be eligible to apply for a rates rebate yet the people living next door in the retirement village are not.Often people living in retirement villages—or actually elderly people in general—have nothing but the pension as their sole source of income. And we know that while some people might think that $600 a year is not a lot of money to people where their only source of income is superannuation it really is and it will make a big difference. We know as the Hon Ruth Dyson mentioned in her first speech on the first reading of this bill that 50 percent of residents living in retirement villages are entirely reliant on superannuation and it will help alleviate the financial pressure for people like that.This is a fantastic bill that sets about changing the definition of residential property" to include retirement villages thereby allowing elderly people that choose to live in retirement villages the ability to apply for a rates rebate. This bill is well overdue. It is time that people living in retirement villages were treated equitably and fairly and I am so thrilled that members opposite are now supporting this bill. I commend this bill to the House."