31364 (2026). Tamatha Paul to the Minister of Housing

31364 (2026). Tamatha Paul to the Minister of Housing: Does he accept the findings published by the Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa that tenants in public housing have greater needs on various metrics compared to those supported by the Accommodation Supplement in private rental housing, and if so, how does he justify his claims that the reforms to social housing subsidies is about ‘fairness’?

Hon Chris Bishop: I agree with the evidence from the report that there's a larger number of high needs people entering social housing. Those needs change over time, especially with the stability and support social housing can bring. That's why we're working to ensure those in high need on the Register can get into a Social House by supporting those that can move to housing independence. We're also working to ensure the system treats more fairly the large number of high need people receiving Accommodation Supplement that are further evidenced by this report too.