Today Judith Collins announced National’s new line-up. We have an excellent team that I’m proud to be part of. I’m honoured to have been given responsibility for the portfolios of Housing & Urban Development, RMA (Housing) and Associate Economic Development.

Housing is an issue I care deeply about and that New Zealanders raise with me wherever I go. I believe bold policy reform is needed to confront New Zealand’s immense housing challenges: the soaring gap between incomes and house prices, declining rates of home ownership, a rapidly growing state house waiting list, families being forced to live in motels, a generation of Kiwis giving up on the aspiration of buying a house, a fundamental need for increased housing supply. I am determined to use my role in Parliament to help fix these problems.

There’s no doubt our housing challenges have built up over successive Governments. I look forward to contributing new thinking and to sharing National’s ideas especially in the area of RMA reform but more broadly too. I will be constructive and solutions-focused - I won’t be afraid to praise progress where it’s happening but nor will I shy away from holding the Government to account where it’s failing.

I will be listening hard to those on the front line, along with experts, developers, providers and a range of perspectives. I will also be reading a lot. If you have something you think I should add to my reading pile or someone I should sit down with please contact me by clicking here.