DOCSLIB.ORG

Declining Egalitarianism and the Battle for Affordable Housing in New Zealand

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Declining Egalitarianism and the Battle for Affordable Housing in New Zealand Declining egalitarianism and the battle for affordable housing in New Zealand Nina Saville-Smith & Kay Saville-Smith Declining egalitarianism and the battle for affordable housing in New Zealand Nina Saville-Smith Centre for Research Evaluation & Social Assessment, Wellington, New Zealand [email protected] K. J. Saville-Smith Centre for Research Evaluation & Social Assessment, Wellington, New Zealand, [email protected] Paper Presented to European Network of Housing Researchers Conference, Uppsala, Sweden 27-29 June 2018 Abstract This paper examines public expressions of exclusion and exclusivity in response to the proposed development of Special Housing Areas (SHAs) in the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region through the thematic analysis of 603 submissions and a review of New Zealand and international literature. It explores a shift in New Zealand cultural values, which increasingly prioritises individual gain and aesthetic preference over policies that support those living in housing insecurity, identifies groups subject to discrimination and exclusion and attitudes to exclusion in the context of national identity and egalitarianism. Introduction Conceptions of New Zealand as a classless utopia, defined by egalitarianism have been central to formulating a mainstream cultural identity in New Zealand and these values are still held up as distinguishing national characteristics in which many New Zealanders firmly believe (Belich & Weaver, 2008). A core facet of this notion of egalitarianism has been access to housing, including the attainment of homeownership. This aspiration was, for many years and for most people achieved. Jackson’s cohort analysis of homeownership in New Zealand shows that by the time those born in 1927-1932 reached 65 years an excess of 87 percent of that cohort were living in owner occupied dwellings (Jackson, 2017). However, over the last thirty years, access to adequate and affordable housing has become an ephemeral goal both in homeownership and increasingly in the rental market. An estimated 574,000 households were renting (Johnson, Howden-Chapman & Eaqub, 2018) and an estimated one in one hundred people were homeless in 2017 (Groot, Vandenburg, & Hodgetts, 2017). Along with the falling rate of homeownership, New Zealand has become an increasingly unequal society, now with one of the highest rates of inequality in the OECD (Arrowsmith et al., 2017). There is considerable resistance to affordable housing developments evident in the take up of a moral discourse by New Zealanders which maintains “a prevailing view that their country is an idyllic paradise apart from the rest of the world’s ills that, if anything, is too generous to its less advantaged” (Marcetic, 2017). This paper explores changing attitudes to and support for inequality expressed in the current housing context. It is structured as follows. It begins with an overview of housing and the welfare state in New Zealand. This is followed by a brief comment on housing inequality in New Zealand. The final section reviews submissions to the proposed development of Special Housing Areas in the Western Bay of Plenty. Workshop 22. Residential Environments and People Housing, the Welfare State and Inequality Housing and government investment in housing provision has historically functioned as a pathway towards a more equitable society. Certainly, access to decent housing was part of a package that attracted new settlers to New Zealand in the nineteenth century. Some came to participate in building a new society, others were trying to escape poor conditions and limited social mobility in their home- countries. New Zealand offered the prospect of new lives and new possibilities. Demands for state intervention from workers and labour groups in housing provision were stimulated by health crises and, in combination with a bubonic plague scare, were a catalyst for the introduction of the Workers’ Dwelling Act (1905). The Act sought to reduce the impacts that rising rents had on inflation and economic well-being (Schrader, 2007) and provide urban workers with quality housing that would remove them from the province of “city slums and grasping landlords” (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2014). The scheme had limited success as rents remained too high and the dwellings too far from urban centres for many prospective tenants (Housing New Zealand Corporation, 2017). The Advances for Workers Act passed in 1906, which offered low cost state credit for eligible workers to build their own homes had a much higher level of success, with 1296 loans granted over a period of four years (Schrader, 2007). Following the success of this scheme the focus shifted from rental provision to supporting and encouraging the uptake of homeownership and the provision of loans and subsidies for construction became the main mechanisms utilised by government to improve housing. In 1912 the remains of the first state housing experiment were sold off by the conservative reform government. Intervention centred around lending, with workers able to access up to 95 percent of the cost of a home throughout the twenties (Housing New Zealand Corporation, 2017). Following the economic and societal upheaval of the Great Depression, a comprehensive state housing programme was launched by the Labour government in 1936 and was followed by other significant welfare reforms under the Social Security Act of 1938. Some argue that those reforms “were as much about insurance for the middle classes” as they were “about addressing poverty” (St John, 2001:5), however they led to substantial improvements for a considerable number of New Zealanders and heralded a move toward collective responsibility and rights of citizenship (Johnson, 2015). Thousands of state homes were built for lifetime rent and “a new concept was introduced to the country…that every citizen had a right to a reasonable standard of living and that it was a community responsibility to ensure that its members were safeguarded against the economic ills from which they could not protect themselves” (Johnson & Carter, 2015:8). The “abstract principles of all citizens being entitled to decent housing” (Groot & Mace, 2016:6) was established. By the end of 1939 the number of houses being constructed rose to around 70 per week (Schrader, 2007) and by 1940 it was estimated that around two thirds of New Zealand homes had been built by the state (Yarwood, 2013). However, even at this rate construction was unable to keep pace with demand and virtually ceased as New Zealand entered the second world war. Government efforts intensified in the wake of the war. A group building scheme was launched, with government underwriting of homes built to specifications (Housing New Zealand Corporation, 2017). In 1950 the National government began an initiative which enabled state housing tenants to purchase their homes with a five percent deposit and low interest rates over a maximum term of forty years (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2014). By 1957 an estimated 30 percent of state housing stock, around 13,300 homes, had been sold (Schrader, 2007). In addition, National raised rents for new tenants, to reduce the advantage over private rentals and introduced an income bar to ensure state housing was reserved for the very poor. In effect, “state housing became a residual provision for those locked out of homeownership” rather than the envisioned ‘tenure of choice’ (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2014). After their 1957 election, the Labour government acted against further sales of state homes, Workshop 22. Residential Environments and People setting “the general pattern for half a century, with Labour-led governments restricting sales and National-led governments encouraging them” (Schrader, 2007:18). The 1984 election saw a Labour-led de-regulation of New Zealand’s highly centralised economy and embarked upon a neo-liberal agenda, cutting the top rates of income tax, reducing tax on company profits and introducing a means tested family incomes scheme to “ensure a significant margin between the incomes of families working and those on benefits” (Hope & Scott, 2017:51). In 1991 the National government introduced full-market rents for state housing tenants, replaced income related rents and housing benefits with an untied Accommodation Supplement (Rea & Thompson ,2017) to assist people with unaffordable housing. The Accommodation Supplement was designed to be tenure neutral but was accessed primarily by those in rental accommodation. Its introduction was accompanied by a cut in welfare payments (other than superannuation) and the supplement itself was designed to only partially address unaffordable housing costs. Government support for homeownership also fell away. By the late 1980s/early 1990s almost 75 percent of households owned the dwelling in which they lived (Law & Meehan, 2013) and in some areas the proportion was even higher. The movement away from a mixed policy of housing assistance both in the rental and homeownership sectors has seen a significant decline in homeownership (Figure 1). It also saw considerable reductions in housing affordability and increases in housing stress. Figure 1 Dwellings in Owner Occupation 1986-2013 (Jackson, 2017). Median house prices rose over 50 percent between 2004 and 2008, conferring significant gains on around half the adult population (Johnson, 2015), while the proportion of individuals able to afford homeownership declined around 20 percent (Law and Meehan, 2013). On a year on year basis to March 2018 median national house prices increased by $35,000 contributing to a 4.4 percent decline in affordability (Squires & Mee Chin, 2018). As the homeownership rate declines, the number of households dependent on the private rental sector has increased. Over the ten years to 2017 the number of households in private rentals grew by 126,000 contributing to an estimated 574,000 to 581,000 private tenant households (Johnson, Howden-Chapman and Eaqub, 2018). Competition for private rentals is fierce and rents have been rising at a faster rate than wages (Johnson, Howden- Chapman & Eaqub, 2018). The median national rent increased 5.6 percent over the last year to $475 a Workshop 22.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Volume 30 Issue 8
    OCTOBER 2017 VOLUME 30 – ISSUE 8 ISSN 1032-6170 Responding to Homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand Contents Council to Homeless Persons Editorial — Ten Years On | 3 Auckland Council’s Role | 32 Jenny Smith Chief Executive Officer Jenny Smith, Chief Executive Officer, in Addressing Homelessness Kate Colvin Manager — Policy and Council to Homeless Persons The Community Empowerment Unit and Communications Glossary | 4 Community and Social Policy Teams, Ian Gough Manager — This glossary has been prepared using the online Auckland Council Consumer Programs version of Te Aka Māori–English, English–Māori | 34 Dictionary and Index. This glossary is not definitive, Housing First Auckland City Centre Lynette Deakes Office Manager and refers to this publication only. Programme: Responsiveness to Māori Noel Murray Parity Editor | Sophia Beaton (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe) Kia hiwa rā, Kia rite 5 and Sarah Greenaway Lanie Harris Communications Jade Kake, Poutohu Mātua, Coordinator Te Matapihi, National Māori Housing Advocate Housing First: | 37 Belinda Lack Digital Communications Introduction | 6 People Working with People Officer Brook Turner, Head of Community Services Angela Kyriakopoulos HAS Coordinator Chapter 1: Development, VisionWest Community Trust Cassandra Bawden Peer Education and Understanding Homelessness The Role of Local Government | 39 Support Program Team in Aotearoa New Zealand in a Homeless Response Leader The People’s Project: | Trish Westmore Capacity Building Understanding Homelessness 8 A Collaborative Community Response in Rural Aotearoa
    [Show full text]
  • Economics and Financing of Housing for Māori Literature Review
    NTRC: CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH DIVISION – CRD0000 SERIES: INDIGENOUS SOCIAL, ECONOMIC & POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS AND FINANCING OF HOUSING FOR MĀORI LITERATURE REVIEW DIANE MENZIES, JAY WHITEHEAD, GRACE WALKER, JOHN REID & ANGUS MACFARLANE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: Report for Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities NSC. ! ! CONTENTS 1! Overview of literature!..................................................................................................................!4! 2! Introduction!...................................................................................................................................!6! 2.1! Background!.............................................................................................................................!6! 2.2! Project brief!.........................................................................................................................!6! 2.3! Coverage!.............................................................................................................................!7! 2.4! Methodology!.......................................................................................................................!7! 3! Literature Review!.........................................................................................................................!8! 3.1! Historical Context!....................................................................................................................!8! 3.2! Demographic change and Māori economic agency!.....................................................!11!
    [Show full text]
  • ER4 Meeting the Housing Needs of Multi-Generational Households
    External Research Report Report ER4 Issue Date: 31/07/2015 ISSN: 2423-0839 Meeting the housing needs of multi-generational households Penny Lysnar and Ann Dupuis Project LR0461 The University of Auckland and Massey University funded by the Building Research Levy 1222 Moonshine Rd, RD1, Porirua 5381 Private Bag 50 908 Porirua 5240 New Zealand branz.nz © BRANZ 2015 Meeting the housing needs of multi-generational households A research report prepared for BRANZ and funded from the Building Research Levy Penny Lysnar Transforming Cities, University of Auckland Ann Dupuis School of People, Environment and Planning, and Regional Director, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Auckland Disclaimer Access to the data used in this study was provided by Statistics New Zealand under conditions designed to give effect to the security and confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act 1975. The results presented in this study are the work of the authors, not Statistics New Zealand. Technical information All figures in tables presented in this report are randomly rounded to base three to conform to Statistics New Zealand’s confidentiality requirements. Figures, percentages and derived data/ statistics are produced from rounded data. © This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealings for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, and no part may be reproduced without prior permission of the authors. July, 2015 ISBN 978-0-473-33022-4 (pdf) ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements 5 Executive Summary 9 1. Introduction 12 2. Objectives 14 3. Research Methodology 15 4. Literature Review 17 4.1 Defining multi-generational households 18 4.2 The rise in multi-generational household living 19 4.3 The New Zealand literature 22 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Monitoring Human Rights in the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery a Report by the Human Rights Commission
    Monitoring Human Rights in the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery A report by the Human Rights Commission Whakaora Rü Whenua Waitaha he Aroturuki Tika Tangata He pürongo nä te Kähui Tika Tangata December 2013 Human Rights Commission InfoLine 0800 496 877 (toll free) Fax 09 377 3593 (attn: InfoLine) Email [email protected] www.hrc.co.nz Language Line and NZ Sign Language interpreter available If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact the Commission using the New Zealand Relay Service. NZ Relay is a telecommunications service and all calls are Brooklands Community Farewell Sunday September 9 confidential. www.nzrelay.co.nz On 9 September 2012, Brooklands community, which has been Tämaki Makaurau – Auckland zoned red, held a goodbye celebration for residents. It was a Level 3 Zurich House, 21 Queen Street bittersweet occasion for residents and featured performances PO Box 6751, Wellesley Street, by local school children and a memory walk through the Tämaki Makaurau/Auckland 1141 suburb that included the dairy, the play centre and the fire Waea/telephone 09 309 0874 station. Residents were invited to ‘individualise their memory Waea whakaahua/fax 09 377 3593 boats’ and to use these “as a symbol of your journey – from the Brooklands that was … to your new hopes and dreams.” Te Whanganui ä Tara – Wellington The walk ended at the lagoon where people released their Level 1 Vector Building, 44-52 The Terrace boats into the water. PO Box 12411, Thorndon, A senior fire fighter at Brooklands Volunteer Fire Brigade Te Whanganui ä Tara/Wellington 6144 is featured on the cover launching his boat at the lagoon.
    [Show full text]
  • Gordon Wilson Flats Heritage Assessment-Final
    314 the terrace, gordon wilson flats_heritage assessment-final archifact architecture & conservation limited www.archifact.co.nz 64 khyber pass road grafton auckland 1023 po box 8334 symonds street auckland 1150 new zealand p 09. 966 6940 [email protected] figure 1 gordon wilson flats, archifact architecture & conservation ltd., 2014) gordon wilson flats 314 the terrace wellington heritage assessment on behalf of wareham cameron + co may 2015 prepared for: victoria university of wellington c/o andrew croskery at wareham cameron + co po box 3531 wellington 6140 copyright © archifact-architecture and conservation ltd, 2015 all rights reserved. without limiting the rights under copyright above, no part of this report may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. auckland, may 2015 2015-05-06__2141007- heritage assessment-final 314 the terrace, wellington 2 contents 1.0 executive summary ..........................................................................................4 2.0 description of the place ...................................................................................5 2.1 ownership ...........................................................................................................5 2.2 address ..............................................................................................................5 2.3 legal description
    [Show full text]
  • The New Zealand Housing Strategy for the 21St Century
    HOUSINGNEW ZEALAND MORTGAGE HOUSING & HOUSING STRATEGY TRANSACTION FOR 21ST CENTURY IN CHINA The Remaking of Housing Policy: The New Zealand Housing Strategy for the 21st Century By David C. Thorns, Director of the Social Science Research Centre and Professor of Sociology at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) Introduction of New Zealand’s welfare development to its Through these policies New Zealand was ‘second way’, which was constructed more firmly integrated into the global Analysing shifts in policy requires us to around a strong neo liberal agenda. The economy in a way that was thought would appreciate that they are embedded in the current post 1999 agenda, then can be improve its competitive edge and internal past as well as in the present. Parsons in a interpreted as New Zealand’s version of a efficiency. Improved productivity would recent examination of policy development ‘third way’ influenced by movements in then lead to faster rates of economic growth argues that “it is existing policies which set other social democratic societies and and improved overall financial performance. the agendas for new problems and provide particularly articulated by the Blair Thus, like a number of other developed the discourse within which problems will be Government in the United Kingdom and the western countries during this period, state constructed” (Parsons 1995:231). Clinton Administration in the USA (Dalziel assets were privatised, new forms of Understanding the development of New 2001, Giddens 2001). management for state enterprises were Zealand’s housing strategy for the 21st introduced creating state owned enterprises century requires us to understand both the In order to explore these changes first an (SOE’s), to be run as private companies and past transformations that occurred through identification of the significant return a dividend to the government.
    [Show full text]
  • Māori Renter's Views on Renting
    DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE Kimihia Ngā Whare Māori Ōranga Pai Towards Healthy Māori Rental Housing Māori Renter’s Views on Renting in the Wellington Region A report prepared for Renters United and the Department of Public Health University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand Group A1 August 2017 Abstract Introduction In the midst of New Zealand’s housing crisis there is an increased requirement to know how renters are affected. While there has been significant research into both renters’ and Māori experiences with housing in New Zealand, the specific views and experiences of Māori renters have not yet been sufficiently explored. Renters United and ActionStation are working together to investigate the experiences of renters in New Zealand. This study proposes to add to their findings by specifically investigating the housing quality and the challenges faced by Māori renters in the Greater Wellington region. Only once these views and challenges are identified and understood can interventions be proposed. Methods There were two components to this study, both targeting Māori renters in the Wellington region. The first consisted of qualitative interviews that collected data on renting experiences in the form of narratives or stories. Interviews were transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis. 12 interviews were conducted. The second component was a quantitative online survey that was conducted and analysed through Qualtrics and distributed through Facebook. We obtained a sample of 77 participants and collected self-reported data on housing quality and renting experience. Data was analysed through descriptive analysis. Results The narrative interviews demonstrated renters’ issues with finding a house which included competition with other renters, gentrification, power imbalances with the landlord, and discrimination.
    [Show full text]
  • Inadequate Housing in New Zealand and Its Impact on Children
    Thematic snapshot report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: Inadequate Housing in New Zealand and its impact on children. He Kainga Oranga/ Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago, Wellington and Human Rights Commission www.healthyhousing.org.nz www.hrc.co.nz August 2016 Whatungarongaro te tangata, Toitu te whenua People come and go The land remains INTRODUCTION 1. The prevalence of New Zealand children living in substandard housing conditions has developed into a major public health and children’s rights issue, with multiple effects on the health and wellbeing of children.i This supplementary thematic report identifies key areas of concern and suggests a number of recommendations intended to bring about substantive improvement for affected children. 2. Many children live in cold, damp homes. This contributes to a greater burden of disease and poorer outcomes, particularly amongst those who live in lower-income households, amongst one parent families of all ethnicities, and Māori and Pacific children.ii The 2016 Families and Whānau Status report produced by the Social Policy and Evaluation Unit (SUPERU) has found that improving well-being for children aged under 18 requires a policy focus on the economic security and housing of single parent families of all ethnicities (72% of the single parents being women) and of Māori, Pacific and Asian two parent familiesiii 3. The causes for the current situation are multi-faceted. Housing supply, rising property prices and rents in urban centres, an outdated regulatory framework governing housing quality and security of tenure for private tenants, and income poverty are all contributory factors.
    [Show full text]
  • “I'm Lucky to Have a House”
    “I’m lucky to have a house” A critique of current and past housing policy and practice, and the effects on a group of Invercargill residents and housing providers. Lorraine Johnston A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Social Work University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand March, 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ___________________________________________ First, I would like to thank the participants who so generously gave up their time to tell their stories and offer their experiences of what housing is like for them in Invercargill. The residents in particular who shared their experiences, and often their struggles, were generous in letting me record this part of their lives. I appreciate also the insights offered by the housing providers, all of whom work in pressured, sometimes impossible situations trying to meet housing needs in a difficult time. Secondly, I would like to thank Dr Peter Walker for his guidance and support during the process of undertaking this study. Finally, thank you to Dr Shayne Walker for stepping in at the last minute, and to the other staff of Otago University Department of Sociology, Gender Studies and Social Work for the ongoing support. As a distance student, that support was particularly appreciated. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ___________________________________________ ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………….. 4 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION...…………………………………………… 6 Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………… 12 Method……………………………………………………………… 15 Ethical considerations……………………………………………... 20 Strengths and limitations………………………………………..… 21 Implications and discussion…………………………………....... 23 Chapter 3: LITERATURE SEARCH…………………………………….. 24 A history of housing in New Zealand…………………………… 25 The current rise of inequality and housing distress……. 32 A global perspective……………………………………..… 39 Looking ahead……………………………………………… 40 Overview of housing theories………………………………...…… 42 A Human Rights approach………………………………… 42 Understanding the discourses…………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • Canterbury Wellbeing Index June 2014
    Canterbury Wellbeing Index June 2014 PUB145.1407.00 Published in July 2014 by Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority Christchurch, New Zealand Contact Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority Private Bag 4999, Christchurch 8140 [email protected] 0800 7464 2372 toll-free www.cera.govt.nz Citation Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (2014). Canterbury Wellbeing Index June 2014. Christchurch: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. ISSN 2324-5158 (Print) 2324-5166 (Online) Crown copyright © This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence. You are free to copy, distribute, and adapt the work, as long as you attribute the work to The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and abide by the other licence terms. Please note you may not use any departmental or governmental emblem, logo, or coat of arms in any way that infringes any provision of the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981. Use the wording ‘Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority’ in your attribution, not the CERA logo. Section Summary Knowledge and skills Participation in education ............................................................................................. 1 Educational achievement: NCEA Level 2 pass rate ..................................................... 2 Economic wellbeing Employment outcomes ................................................................................................. 3 Household income .......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Ten Perspectives on Housing 2 Foreword
    Progressive thinking perspectives ten on housing Published August 2017 Edited by Sarah Austen-Smith and Sarah Martin Design and layout by Dan Phillips Printed by Pivotal Thames This resource is also available online at www.psa.org.nz/housingbooklet New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi PSA House, 11 Aurora Terrace, PO Box 3817, Wellington. Phone 0508 367 772 Email [email protected] www.psa.org.nz ISBN 978-0-908798-11-7 Authorised by Erin Polaczuk, Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi, 11 Aurora Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand. Contents 3 Foreword 7 Housing and health 29 Luck and love: Philippa Howden-Chapman housing and disability 11 Affordability – Where next? Dr Esther Woodbury John Tookey 32 No country for young 15 Innovating our way men or women out of New Zealand’s Dr Andrew Coleman housing disaster 36 The forgotten 50% Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw Robert Whitaker 24 Case study: Māori housing movements Jade Kake, edited by Victoria Crockford 18 The soft privatisation 39 Local government of state housing and the housing crisis Alan Johnson Shamubeel Eaqub 21 Beyond the quarter 43 The human right acre section: to adequate housing Bill McKay David Rutherford 42 Author bios Progressive thinking: ten perspectives on housing 2 Foreword At certain times over the course of New a proud history of advocating for high Zealand’s history, it has become clear quality public services that contribute that a fundamental shift in thinking to the health and wellbeing of our is needed. We believe that such a shift communities.
    [Show full text]
  • He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research and New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
    He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research and New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights This submission was prepared by researchers from He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme, and the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, both in the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington. The research team comprises a large group of multi-disciplinary scientists and researchers led by Professor Philippa Howden- Chapman. The research of both groups has been seminal in demonstrating the links between housing, urban form, and health, and is both internationally and nationally acclaimed. The submission relates primarily to the right to an adequate standard of living in terms of housing, and touches on the rights to work, social security, family life, health, and education. It draws on a recently completed report for the new Minister for Housing and Urban Development, authored by Alan Johnson, Philippa Howden-Chapman, and Shamubeel Eaqub, “A Stocktake of New Zealand’s Housing.”1 We proceed in eight sections: homelessness; social housing; housing assistance; market renting; housing quality; home ownership; indigenous housing; and we finish with some comments about urban form and accessibility. 1. Homelessness: 1.1.Homelessness rose significantly between the 2006 and 2013 censuses, from one in 120, to one in 100 people. There were an estimated 4,197 people without habitable accommodation, and 37,010 in temporary accommodation, or sharing in severe overcrowding in 2013. 1.2.Disproportionately high numbers of Māori and Pacific people are homeless, compared to people of European descent.
    [Show full text]