Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says the Ministry of Social Development is well on track to deliver social housing reforms next year.

“From April next year, MSD’s Work and Income will assess and manage the social housing needs of low income New Zealanders,” says Mrs Bennett.

“It makes sense for Work and Income to take on this role, with offices around the country and staff who are familiar with individuals and families in need.”

The Government will introduce legislation to Parliament to give community housing providers and donors certainty that assisting low-income families into home ownership will be exempt from income tax.

“The Government is committed to supporting as many kiwi families as possible to achieve the goal of owning their own home. This tax change is about supporting organisations like Habitat for Humanity who help low-income families buy a house through rent-to-buy or similar home ownership products,” Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

A 1950s, four-unit Housing New Zealand building in Upper Hutt is this week being tested to destruction to help inform decisions on the repair and replacement of earthquake-prone buildings.

“This is the first time this destructive earthquake testing has been carried out on a two-storey building in New Zealand,” Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been leading a project to set up supported flatting arrangements for teenagers.

“There are teenagers living away from home for a variety of reasons.Many face real challenges and lack the support they need to thrive,” says Mrs Bennett.

Teenagers can be at-risk living independently without good support and safe, appropriate accommodation.

“I’ve been investigating options to provide supported flats that allow teens to live independently, but in a safe place and with support close by.”

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today turned the sod to mark the beginning of construction for the Pomare mixed housing redevelopment in Lower Hutt.

“Pomare epitomises the old intensive state housing model we are moving away from. The Government is creating more mixed communities of state, social and low-cost housing for first home buyers and growing families,” Dr Smith says.

“This sod turning is a significant event for the community and an important milestone in the history of the redevelopment.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today launched a nationwide programme which will see 13,000 driveways at state houses made safer for children.

“New Zealand has one of the highest rates of child driveway safety accidents in the world. It is estimated that a child is hospitalised every two weeks and five children die a year as a result of being run-over in driveways. These tragic accidents are over-represented at Housing New Zealand properties, which is why we are launching this major driveway safety programme to help keep kids safe,” Dr Smith says.

A bill to grow the community social housing sector and focus the Government’s housing support on high needs tenants passed its second reading in Parliament today 63 votes to 56.

“The Social Housing Reform Bill will help kick-start growth in the community social housing sector by giving approved providers access to the income- related rent subsidy for new tenants. This is a major shift as up until now these significant rent subsidies have only been available to Housing New Zealand tenants,” Dr Smith says.

More Maori will now have the opportunity to build on ancestral land after the government agreed to changes to the Kainga Whenua Loan and Kainga Whenua Infrastructure Grants this week.

Associate Minister for Housing Tariana Turia says the changes allow a wider group of Maori to access loans and is another important step in advancing housing aspirations for whanau, hapu and Maori land trusts.

The Government is proposing increased transparency, simplified compliance, changes to anti-dumping duties and tariff concessions to bring down the cost of home building materials, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Commerce Minister Craig Foss announced today.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has challenged Labour to explain its plan to axe the Families Commission.

“Labour says it would need to ‘axe’ the Families Commission so it can carry out its ‘poverty plan’ which is clearly limited to simply counting poverty.”

“The Commission has gone through significant change since her colleague Rajen Prasad was commissioner and is now doing meaningful work.”

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced a further $3.5 million of funding for community social housing provider Accessible Properties to build 20 more homes in Wellington, Tauranga and Hamilton.

Dr Smith made the announcement while opening Accessible Properties latest development in Wainuiomata. The $1.2 million development has previously received $480,000 of funding from the Government’s $139 million Social Housing Fund.

An agreement between CYF and Tainui marks a new understanding and connection between the two says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Waikato today.

“This is the third agreement to be signed with iwi and is a significant step forward,” says Mrs Bennett.

“A new working relationship will focus on protecting children, using iwi networks to proactively support whānau in need.”

Changes to the benefit system for young people are seeing more in education, training and attending vital parenting and budgeting courses.

“Welfare reform started with young people, for good reason – a recent report found young people who go on benefit, then spend an average 19 years on benefit,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“We now require all beneficiary 16 and 17 year olds and teen parents to be in education or training so they have a better chance at getting a decent job.”

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced $16.7 million of Government funding for 87 new community social houses in Auckland.

“Auckland’s housing problems require that we grow the stock of private and state housing, as well as the community social housing sector. These additional community-developed homes are aimed at lower income families for both rental and assisted home ownership,” Dr Smith says.

Three new social housing developments in Christchurch totalling 51 homes and an investment of $17.3 million were announced today by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“We have a real housing challenge in Christchurch with the loss of so many homes to the earthquakes and the increased demand from the expanded workforce to support the rebuild. This shortage is driving up house prices and rents. These new developments are about ensuring an increased supply of lower cost homes for both rental and assisted home ownership,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown today announced the first batch of Special Housing Areas that will progressively bring to market 6,000 new homes across the city under the Auckland Housing Accord.

“Land supply is the most critical issue we must address to improve housing supply and affordability in Auckland. This first batch of Special Housing Areas will bring 6,000 sections onto the market and is a significant step towards the Auckland Housing Accord’s target of consenting for 39,000 new homes over three years,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today officially re-opened a block of units in Lower Hutt which have had significant earthquake strengthening work done as part of Housing New Zealand’s nationwide programme around earthquake-prone buildings.

New Zealand’s largest community housing development involving 282 social and affordable homes on surplus Government land at Weymouth in South Auckland was announced today by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown.

“This exciting development involves both the Government’s social and affordable housing reforms and will help 113 families into their first home. It will also expand the provision of community and social housing by 169 units,” Dr Smith says.

The Families Commission’s new Social Policy and Evaluation Research Unit (SuPERU) will manage the Growing Up in New Zealand study from today.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett welcomed the transfer of the longitudinal study from the Ministry of Social Development to SuPERU.

“This is a pleasing development and means the study will now benefit from the academic rigour of the SuPERU and its focus on delivering greater transparency and value for money.”

Whangarei’s Children’s Team goes live today, a milestone welcomed by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“Children’s Teams are a new, community-driven way of engaging with and supporting vulnerable children and families,” Mrs Bennett said.

“I’ve visited Whangarei several times in recent months and am impressed with how enthusiastic and committed the community is to making a difference for their children.”

A new Housing New Zealand initiative called FirstHome to help families buy their own home was announced today in Blenheim by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“FirstHome will help modest income earners in provincial New Zealand buy their first home by gifting them a 10 per cent deposit and giving them priority to purchase surplus vacant state houses no longer needed by Housing New Zealand,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith is welcoming the technical amendments recommended at select committee to the Social Housing Reform Bill, which makes fundamental changes to the way the Government delivers housing assistance to those most in need.

“This bill will help grow the provision of community social housing, as well as focusing Housing New Zealand on high needs tenants,” Dr Smith says.

Changes to KiwiSaver and Welcome Home Loans which take effect tomorrow will help first home buyers get into the market, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The changes will help thousands of families with their deposit for their first home and provide a guarantee for their mortgage. The changes will increase eligibility for the schemes, doubling the amount of home buyers receiving the deposit subsidy from 4,700 to 10,000 a year, and trebling the number of Welcome Home Loans available from 845 to 2,500 a year,” he says.