20284 (2026). Tamatha Paul to the Minister of Finance

20284 (2026). Tamatha Paul to the Minister of Finance: Why did she say that social housing tenants had "won the lotto"?

Hon Nicola Willis: In answer to a question from a journalist, I said people in social housing “effectively have won the Lotto”. I regret using this phrase because people living in social housing are often in very difficult circumstances and the phrase I used implied otherwise. I reached for the wrong metaphor when trying to make a point about fairness in the housing system. I will not be using this phrase again.