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

This is a repost of a piece written for the magazine of the International Union of Tenants – a brief introduction to some of the problems of renting in New … Continue reading Working for better rental housing in New Zealand

Paul Cheshire, an economist, is Emeritus Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics. Alongside his academic work, he advises governments and international organisations; recently, he advised New … Continue reading “Patronizing pieces of politics” – An interview with Paul Cheshire

The government wants to make some changes to New Zealand’s Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), the law that governs the relationship between tenant and landlord. Under the draft Bill, landlords will … Continue reading Will this Bill improve our rental housing?