Last week I wrote about a paper we recently published that looked at how New Zealanders define mixed-tenure communities, and what’s important in how they’re designed. This is important because of the major developments going ahead that will transform the lives of thousands of people – those displaced by development as well as those housed…More
What is a mixed-tenure community? Views from New Zealand practitioners and implications for researchers
Replacing public housing with housing for different socio-economic groups has been a focus for governments and housing providers in a number of countries. Developing public and market housing, usually on land formerly occupied by public housing, offers the chance to increase the supply of private and public housing, while improving housing quality and community design.…More
New paper: Well Homes Initiative: A Home-Based Intervention to Address Housing-Related Ill Health
The Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) is a unique programme, celebrated for being an outstanding public service delivering positive outcomes for New Zealand. A paper has recently been published by Nevil Pierse and other colleagues about what one HHI does – Well Homes in Wellington. People can be referred to Well Homes when they have a…More
New paper: Promoting health through housing improvements, education and advocacy: Lessons from staff involved in Wellington’s Healthy Housing Initiative
We know that poor housing conditions result in ill health for many New Zealanders, and we know which interventions are required to ensure good quality housing that supports health. Healthy Housing Initiatives intervene to improve the homes of kids who are hospitalised for illnesses that could be related to poor housing conditions. Some colleagues and…More
New paper: ‘Why don’t homeowners improve their homes? Results from a survey following a housing warrant-of-fitness assessment for health and safety’
Last year, some colleagues and I carried out research in Taranaki. People had their homes inspected against a ‘warrant of fitness’. After they received the results of the assessment, we called them up to see whether they would make changes that would make their homes safer, warmer or dryer. We found there were some changes…More
Should landlords pay a bond to cover maintenance?
There’s a major problem with maintenance in New Zealand rental housing. Independent assessors of a representative sample of New Zealand housing found that 32% of rental housing was poorly maintained (Buckett et al. 2017:26). Research recently published by Auckland Council, and based on interviews with Auckland property managers, showed that a major challenge in working…More
Renter activism in New Zealand, 1916-2016
Republished with permission from the Labour History Project Bulletin. Life isn’t good for many people who rent their home: renters move often; problems of cold and damp housing are widespread; low income households are often crowded; and many people spend more than half their income on rent.[1] Poor quality housing, crowding, and a lack of…More
Tenant advocates help renters access better housing
Last month, an article based on part of my PhD research was published in Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online.[1] For this project, I interviewed tenant advocates: volunteers and professionals who, among other things, advise tenants on their rights, help them negotiate with their landlords, and help them represent their interests at the Tenancy Tribunal.…More
Will the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill improve our rental housing?
The Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill no.2 amends the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). Introduced by the Labour Party back in 2015, it is currently being considered by the Government Administration Select Committee. Over the next couple of months, this Bill is likely to be in the news again as the select committee hears oral submissions. This Bill is…More
“Housing is central to understanding what’s happening in capitalism today” – An interview with Brett Christophers
Brett Christophers is professor at the Department of Social and Economic Geography and the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. His most recent book, The Great Leveler: Capitalism and Competition in the Court of Law (Harvard University Press, 2016), provides a theoretical and historical examination of the relationship between competition and monopoly in…More
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