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 … Continue reading New paper: Promoting health through housing improvements, education and advocacy: Lessons from staff involved in Wellington’s Healthy Housing Initiative

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 … Continue reading New paper: ‘Why don’t homeowners improve their homes? Results from a survey following a housing warrant-of-fitness assessment for health and safety’

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 … Continue reading Should landlords pay a bond to cover maintenance?

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; … Continue reading Renter activism in New Zealand, 1916-2016

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 … Continue reading Tenant advocates help renters access better 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 … Continue reading Will the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill improve our rental housing?

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: … Continue reading “Housing is central to understanding what’s happening in capitalism today” – An interview with Brett Christophers

Noting the poor conditions in New Zealand’s rental sector, the New Zealand Herald columnist Deborah Hill Cone recently asked: Why are renters not rising up? Why is there not a more … Continue reading Why are renters not rising up?

There are a number of things that come up when people discuss how to improve the experience of renting in New Zealand. We usually talk about what changes we can … Continue reading A better tax system for better renting

Dr Lisa Mckenzie is a research fellow in Sociology at the London School of Economics. In February, I interviewed Lisa about her new book, Getting By: Estates, Class and Culture … Continue reading “Housing is just one part of making a good society” – An interview with Lisa McKenzie