26465 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Housing

26465 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Housing: Which agencies, departments, Crown entities, companies, or other organisations for which the Minister is responsible, if any, have been required to identify or deliver baseline savings or staffing reductions since 27 November 2023, and how much, if anything, has each delivered, broken down by organisation and year, as at 5 June 2026?

Hon Chris Bishop: he following organisations within the Minister’s portfolio have been required to identify or deliver baseline savings or staffing reductions since 27 November 2023. Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Budget 2024 included the ‘Ministerial and Management Services Reduction’ initiative, which delivered savings of $21.6m over the forecast period, which were achieved by managing the Housing and Urban Development portfolio within baseline. To give effect to this, HUD’s departmental baseline for business-as-usual activities (excluding time-limited funding) reduced by approximately 17.2% between 2023/24 and 2024/25. This was supported by a reduction in departmental staffing of around 60 full-time equivalents (from 383 to approximately 323), representing a decrease of around 15.7%. Budget 2026 also included the ‘Baseline Savings – Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport’ initiative, which includes $1.6m per annum in savings from 2026/27. These savings reflect the savings target identified for Vote Housing and Urban Development prior to the establishment of the new ministry. Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities As a Crown entity, KO is not subject to departmental baseline reductions set by Ministers. However, it has identified savings through its Board-approved Turnaround Plan. Budget 2024 included the ‘Kāinga Ora Reduced Asset Maintenance and Personnel Expenditure’ initiative, which was expected to deliver $1,041m in savings over the forecast period – reflecting efficiencies in asset maintenance and personnel expenditure. Budget 2026 also included the ‘Kāinga Ora Expenditure Reductions’ initiative, through which KO identified additional operating savings of $368m over the forecast period. These savings are primarily associated with reduced maintenance and depreciation costs, linked to changes in the scale and cost of housing renewal activity under the Turnaround Plan. A year-by-year breakdown of these initiatives is set out in the Summary of Initiatives published on the Treasury website for Budget 2024 and Budget 2026.