GEORGINA BEYER (Labour-Wairarapa): I would like to begin by saying that the Government is committed to ensuring that Crown entities and State-owned enterprises are working together with communities for the benefit of New Zealand. In that regard, the Housing New Zealand Corporation provides access to decent homes, helping New Zealanders to manage their own circumstances and contribute to community life.

The 2003 Budget contains nearly $260 million in extra funding for housing low-income people and those at risk. Minister Steve Maharey, who is very good at securing that kind of funding, says it covers a 4-year period, and that it consists of nearly $100 million to be spent on providing another 318 State homes, as well as extending 80 houses to better suit larger families. That is on top of the State houses that were already planned. There is about $60 million to accelerate the modernisation programme for State houses, on top of $30.5 million already planned over the next 3 years; $63 million to encourage greater involvement in housing by local government and third sector groups, such as churches, non-governmental organisations, and Ma-ori; about $26 million to provide an extra 77 community houses to be used by a range of community groups offering residential services, such as Women’s Refuge and community health services; $5.3 million for a 2-year pilot home ownership mortgage insurance scheme. That scheme is scheduled to begin later this year, but the details are still being developed. A million dollars is also to be spent on expanding Ministry of Housing tenancy information and education services, with the focus particularly on at-risk groups.

Housing New Zealand has had numerous achievements, and I would like to highlight some more of them. At the second anniversary of the implementation of income-related rents, nearly 53,200 low-income State house tenants were paying an income-related rent, saving on average about $35 every week—and in some areas of Auckland, between $50 and $60 a week. Those kinds of savings have got to be a plus for low-income people, and hopefully they will give those families extra money to spend in other areas of their budgets. Housing New Zealand Corporation has established new community renewal projects in five regions. Those regions are Fordlands in Rotorua, Clendon in south Auckland, Talbot Park in Glen Innes, eastern Porirua, and Aranui in Christchurch. That programme is designed to rejuvenate specific communities and address social issues affecting residents in areas where there is a high concentration of State housing.

We are building up our State housing stock, and have already added an extra 3,200 homes since becoming the Government in December 1999. The National Government sold 11,500 State houses during the 1990s—and I might just digress from my notes and remind that National Party that the Wairarapa electorate is virtually devoid of State housing. The stock of about 300 in that area was completely sold off, and, if my memory serves me correctly, at an average price of about $18,000. That was a fire sale, and, unfortunately, at this stage we are unable to provide State housing for people on low incomes in the Wairarapa area. I am hoping that we will be able to address those issues when the housing needs of other areas of the country, which are severe, have been met. Finally there was the launch of the Healthy Housing project in March 2001 to improve the living conditions of hundreds of State house tenants. That project focuses on reducing diseases associated with overcrowding—such as meningococcal disease, rheumatic fever, and tuberculosis—and on generally improving conditions for Housing New Zealand properties. The project began as a pilot in Otara, Mangere, and Onehunga, and this year it will expand to Glen Innes, Whangarei, Clendon, Manurewa, and Fordlands in Rotorua.

Housing New Zealand and housing for low-income people is within the ambit of the Social Services Committee, and that is why I chose to concentrate on that particular area today.