11. TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) Link to this
to the Minister of Housing
What is Housing New Zealand doing to identify and address fraudulent behaviour by some tenants?
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Housing) Link to this
The overwhelming majority of Housing New Zealand Corporation tenants appreciate their homes and abide by the rules. However, there are a small minority who access homes and subsidies they do not need. Over the past 2½ years the Housing New Zealand Corporation has built a highly effective team of expert investigators. Since July 2010, 241 tenancies have been ended following investigations, and 119 tenants have been successfully prosecuted for fraud. I commend the Housing New Zealand Corporation for taking action against those people who are locking out families genuinely in need of State houses.
What kind of activities have tenants been undertaking that have led to action being taken against them?
Examples include a South Auckland tenant who obtained a State house in 1998 and who was found not to have declared his wife’s true income. The tenant also forged and falsified his own employer income statements in order to obtain a lower rent. Twenty-one fraud charges were laid, the tenancy was terminated, a debt of $55,000 was established, and the tenant was sentenced to 5 months’ home detention. Another tenant had a company under an assumed name, received undeclared income under another name, and did not report it to the Housing New Zealand Corporation or the Ministry of Social Development. The tenant pled guilty to 10 charges of fraud—$91,000 worth of debt was against the tenant—and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. But what is important is that the two houses in these two cases were freed up for those who were genuinely in need.
Moana MackeyWhy does he not hold his own department, the Housing New Zealand Corporation, to the same level of accountability and compliance with the law as its tenants, given this political letter, drafted for National MPs by Housing New Zealand Corporation communication staff, and intended to “manage public perception of National Party policy”, in clear breach of the requirement for impartiality under the State Sector Act?
I seek leave to table a letter from the Housing New Zealand Corporation drafted for National MPs in an attempt to manage—
Mr SPEAKERThe last bit is totally out of order. We have seen enough abuse of the Standing Orders today. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The quote “in order to manager public perception” comes from the cover letter from the department concerned. It is not something that Moana Mackey was making up; it was a quote from the cover document.
Chris Tremain