The Housing Minister has been raked over the coals for failing to release information regarding KiwiBuild.
The Speaker of the House says Phil Twyford has abused the protocols of Parliament - and it's not just his parliamentary colleagues who feel he's shutting them out.
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The Government is looking at prefabs to help reach its ambitious target of 100,000 KiwiBuild homes.
"The Scandinavians, the Americans, other Europeans, they've been doing it for 20, 30 years," says Mr Twyford.
However Paul Noble, director of Living Solutions, which contracts prefab business Builtsmart, says the Ministry should be looking closer to home.
"I think in the first instance they need to look at New Zealand businesses," he told Newshub. "We have a growing transportable home or factory home market here in New Zealand."
In fact, Mr Noble pitched a plan to help the Housing Minister when he met him in Tauranga back in April. Mr Twyford says he doesn't recall their conversation.
"They said they were going to listen, but we've heard nothing back," says Mr Noble.
He's not the only one waiting for answers about KiwiBuild. The Minister was reprimanded by the Speaker in Parliament for a lack of transparency.
Mr Twyford was told off in a formal letter for failing to answer written questions lodged by Opposition housing spokeswoman Judith Collins.
"The answers are an abuse of the written question process," it read.
She asked how many people would be employed by the Government's new housing commission. The Minister answered: "If the member is on the lookout for work, she should keep an eye on the classifieds."
She asked how many sleeps until an announcement was made. He answered: "It depends on how frequently the member sleeps".
Trevor Mallard said his answers showed a "contempt for the accountability which a Minister has to this House".
"I think if he doesn't want to answer the question, then he shouldn't want to be a Minister," Ms Collins told Newshub.
Being rapped over the knuckles by a Speaker from your own party is a telling off no Minister wants to receive.
When Newshub asked Mr Twyford whether he regretted his behaviour, he said he'd be following the rules in future.
Newshub.
